Posted on 09/25/2009 8:56:02 PM PDT by jazusamo
First Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned military officer to refuse deployment to Iraq because he believed it was an illegal war, has won his three-year legal battle with the Army.
With little fanfare, the Army at Fort Lewis in Washington state accepted the resignation of the 1996 Kalani High School graduate last Friday and he will be discharged during the first week in October.
Rather than seek a second court martial against the infantry officer, the Army will grant Watada a discharge “under other than honorable conditions.”
Joseph J. Piek, Fort Lewis spokesman, said “this is an administrative discharge and the characterization of Lt. Watada’s discharge is not releasable under the privacy act.”
Watada, 31, told the Star-Bulletin an phone interview today that he was “glad to finally bring this chapter to a close and to move on.”
“The actual outcome is different from the outcome that I envisioned in the first place, but I am grateful of the outcome.”
Watada said there were “many skilled lawyers” who represented him and that he was “thankful to the people from all walks of life that supported me and agreed with my stand.”
In May, Watada won a significant legal victory when the U.S. Department of Justice dropped efforts to retry him. The Army had wanted to appeal U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle’s decision last October that a second court-martial would violate Watada’s constitutional protection against double jeopardy.
Following the Justice Department’s decision, the Army made it clear the only course available to Watada is what the Army calls “Resignation for the Good of the Service in Lieu of General Court-Martial,” he said. Either Watada could voluntarily resign or be forced out with a discharge “under other than honorable conditions.”
Either way, Watada said today, the result would be the same except it would take longer if he was forced out.
Watada said he turned his resignation papers in July and it was approved by the commanding general at Fort Lewis and sent to his higher headquarters. Watada learned of the Army’s final approval on Sept. 18.
Watada was initially charged with missing the 2nd Infantry Division’s 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s deployment on June 22, 2006, considered by the Army as the most serious charge, and conduct unbecoming an officer.
One of many articles:
Seattle protesters march, demand Iraq withdrawl (Watada speaks)
He ignored a lawful order to deploy. How in the world did he avoid the first court martial? Or, was he found guilty by the first court martial, and this was for a second charge?
Cowardice disguised as politics. There is no way I would have him leading troops in my unit, he would be responsible for porta john clean up as long as I had control of him. His discharge ensures he gets no benefits and now he can go on his way and leave the army to heroes, not slugs like himself.
“under other than honorable conditions.”
He didn’t win anything except prove he’s an oath-breaker and a coward. No way will any honorable former military manager hire him in the civilian world.
The judge in his first courts-martial declared a mistrial because of admissions he’d made then when they tried to try him again his attorneys filed to dismiss because of double jeorpardy.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1780944/posts Mistrial in Watada Case 02-07-07
Go away wimp, join your wussy friends in Canada. Forget about ever enjoying any respect from honorable people in the US. That bitter taste in your mouth? You’ll get used to it - you’ll have it all your life.
I’m glad it’s over and at least he resigned his commission and received a less than honorable discharge but he deserved time in Leavenworth.
Well now we know what happened to this POS. Thanks for posting.
Should have been put on a gallows and hanged [a firing squad would have been too honorable an execution].
Yep. He’s pretty much unemployable now.
Yes, it will follow him but with the number of anti-Americans we have now it won’t affect him like it would have 40 or 50 years ago.
You bet Lily. I’ve been keeping tabs and I didn’t think they were ever going to decide what to do. I really do wish he’d have gotten some hard time.
Over here.
He plans to go to law school.
Regards,
Ah! Now I understand. So military members can now ignore any order from Obama that they feel violates the US Constitution, because they are not required to obey unlawful orders. That appears to be Watada’s defense at the first court martial. He didn’t have a legal duty to deploy, because he believe the war was illegal.
Either way, I hope I never meet this scum. I’m not a violent man, but I’d sure let him know what I think of him. It makes my blood boil to think this traitor ever wore a US military uniform. The only uniform he should be wearing is an orange jumpsuit from the corrections dept (or whatever they wear in Ft. Leavenworth—that would do, too).
You’ve got it exactly right. He refused to deploy because he believed it to be an illegal war.
He’s scum but I’m sure the JAG Corps learned from this and the next case, if there is one will wind up different.
Be intersting to see how the Bar Assn. character committee deals with the less than honorable.
Good luck with that. They'll ask him about the conditions of his discharge, and so will any future Law firm.
Thanks, Thunder 6. I’d forgotten he plans to go to law school. He’ll probably do well!
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