Posted on 01/18/2007 8:25:13 AM PST by RDTF
The nation's first Army officer to refuse deployment to Iraq urged the public in a statement Wednesday to "stop the war so that the death and sacrifices of American soldiers will not be in vain" after a major legal setback in his court-martial proceedings.
First Lt. Ehren Watada, who is based at Ft. Lewis near Seattle, faces six years in prison for failing to deploy to Iraq last year with his Stryker brigade and for criticizing President Bush and the war in statements to the media and at a peace convention.
The 28-year-old Honolulu native has argued that the war is illegal because Bush did not obtain proper authorization for it, and that Army rules and the Nuremberg principles adopted after World War II required Watada to disobey orders to participate.
On Tuesday, however, Lt. Col. John M. Head, the military judge in the case, rejected Watada's request to debate the legality of the war at his court-martial next month. Although Watada's attorney, Eric Seitz, had sought to open the question so the soldier could explain why he defied his deployment orders, Head ruled that the war's legality was a political question irrelevant to the charges at hand.
Head also rejected motions to dismiss charges of "conduct unbecoming an officer" related to Watada's criticism of Bush and the war.
Seitz had argued that the 1st Amendment protected Watada's remarks. But Head disagreed in his written decision, saying that courts have ruled that soldiers do not enjoy the same degree of free-speech protections as civilians.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
There will be enough volunteers that his sorry ass will be shot to hamburger,and they will have to hold the execution in a football field.
Should be put up against a wall and shot.
Used to be the same in the Army. I got RIF'd in 1972 when I was a CPT. I heard and read that later, instead of having a Board review OERs, they went with the same policy. If you weren't in the primary zone or secondary zone for promotion within a certain time in grade, you were out.
Everyone is missing the point that these Al queda butt sucker is a danger to his fellow troops.
He's a traitor and would be going over and telling the enemy every day where we are.
Why a "Hudson High" grad. Did I miss something?
Hudson Hugh = west point. If he were a grad, that would mean he entered before the WOT started.
Officer policy used to be(in the Army at least), passed over for promotion twice and you are out.
Is his father a Demagogue-crat activist?
The Army has a similar system, but I can't speak for the Air Force or the Navy.
Ahhhh. Never heard that nickname...I WENT to Hudson High as a kid...:)
West Point, or a real highschool named for Hudson?
(Thanks for understanding my hugh typo, btw)
No they don't...and they know this when the VOLUNTARILY enlist!
I do not believe there is any "probably" involved in his intentions. IIRC, when this story first broke, it was researched and pointed out that is was exactly why he enlisted. Don't have time to find the research, though.
I know some guys who signed up for three hots and a cot.
But when their respective units got deployed to the Land of Bad Things, they went, and did their duty.
Or take a commision as an officer, as this chump did.
He's an officer, he did not enlist.
Translation: I joined the military so I could get free college and stuff. I didn't think they'd actually want me to act like a soldier!
Most LT's still have their heads partially up their posterior.
This guy hasn't begun to pull his out.
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