Free Republic

FORT STEWART, Ga. - An Army mechanic who refused to go to Iraq while he sought conscientious objector status was acquitted of desertion Thursday but found guilty of a lesser charge and sentenced to 15 months behind bars. Sgt. Kevin Benderman, 40, also was given a dishonorable discharge and a reduction in rank to private on the charge of missing movement. If he had been found guilty of desertion, he could have faced five years in prison. Benderman failed to deploy with his 3rd Infantry Division unit in January, 10 days after he told Fort Stewart commanders he was seeking...

– A Navy sailor turned anti-war activist was convicted Wednesday of missing his ship's movement when he refused to board the USS Bonhomme Richard as it deployed to the Persian Gulf in December. A military judge deliberated about 40 minutes before finding Petty Officer 3rd Class Pablo Paredes guilty of the count. Lt. Cmdr. Bob Klant dismissed a second count of unauthorized absence, ruling the charge was duplicative. Paredes stood at attention as the judge read the sentence, following the day's court-martial proceeding. The trial then shifted into the sentencing phase. Paredes, a 23-year-old from the New York City borough...

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Court-martial proceedings opened Wednesday for a Navy sailor turned anti-war activist who refused to board his ship when it deployed to the Persian Gulf in December. Petty Officer 3rd Class Pablo Paredes pleaded not guilty at the outset of his trial on charges of unauthorized absence and missing his ship's movement. Paredes, a 23-year-old from the New York City borough of the Bronx, waved his right to have his trial heard by a military jury. The case instead will be decided by the judge, Lt. Cmdr. Bob Klant. In his opening statement, prosecutor Lt. Brandon Hale...