First Lieutenant Ehren Watada still refuses Iraq deployment

[SLCPUNK]

Conscientious Rejector?

First Lieutenant Ehren Watada still refuses Iraq deployment orders, calling the war illegal. A six-year prison term could result. Preliminary hearings are set for Thursday.

First Lt. Ehren Watada, a 28-year-old Hawaii native, is the first commissioned officer in the U.S. to publicly refuse deployment to Iraq. He announced last June his decision not to deploy on the grounds the war is illegal.

Lt. Watada was based at Fort Lewis, Washington, with the Army's 3rd (Stryker) Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. He has remained on base, thus avoiding charges of desertion.

He does, however, face one count of "missing troop movement" and four counts of "conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman." If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison.

Watada's court martial is on February 5. A pre-trial hearing is set for January 4, with an added scope of controversy: the Army has ordered two freelance journalists, Sarah Olson and Dahr Jamail, to testify against Lt. Watada at the hearing. Both journalists are fighting the subpoenas.

Kevin Sites recently spoke with Lt. Watada about the reasoning behind his decision, the controversy the decision has caused and how he is dealing with the repercussions.

Lt. Watada spoke on the phone from his family's home in Hawaii. Click here to listen to the full audio version of the conversation. A transcript of the interview follows.

The interview is located here:

http://hotzone.yahoo.com/b/hotzone/blogs19056

[The Dog]

Tough call if you ask me.  Without knowing too many details or reading the article, I think he is right about the war, but he signed up to do a job and he should honor that committment.  If he can legally prove that the war is illegal then hes got a grounds for not serving.  but this to me like a fireman signing up to fight fires and then when one breaks out he doesn't want to put it out.  of course its more complicated then that since this war is total BS, but you can still see the comparison.

[Guns N RockMusic]

The man is a coward, plain and simple.  As an officer, I would be ashamed to be anywhere near this man.  He is a disgrace to himself, his unit and the Army.  We've been talking about this at work and we all agree, this guy is a piece of shit.  Personally I think the whole thing is a publicity stunt.  Ok, I got it, he doesn't agree with the war.  Join the club buddy.  But you took an oath to lead and train the soldiers that are forced to fight in whatever situation congress and the American voters send them in.

It's not as if him refusing to deploy changed anything, some other officer was appointed to go in his place.  This man is a coward and I hope they give the son of a bitch the maximum sentence.  He can play martyr and hero while rotting in leavenworth for a few years.

[Axl4Prez2004]

The man is a coward, plain and simple.? As an officer, I would be ashamed to be anywhere near this man.? He is a disgrace to himself, his unit and the Army.? We've been talking about this at work and we all agree, this guy is a piece of shit.? Personally I think the whole thing is a publicity stunt.? Ok, I got it, he doesn't agree with the war.? Join the club buddy.? But you took an oath to lead and train the soldiers that are forced to fight in whatever situation congress and the American voters send them in.

It's not as if him refusing to deploy changed anything, some other officer was appointed to go in his place.? This man is a coward and I hope they give the son of a bitch the maximum sentence.? He can play martyr and hero while rotting in leavenworth for a few years.

Hey Guns, part of me agrees with you and your office, but then another part of me tells me that I wish we had a few more Ehren Watadas in World War 2 Germany.   

I hope he serves his time in a dignified manner.  He does belong in jail.  I feel so sorry for these kids fighting an unjust war.  It's very sad. 

[The Dog]

The man is a coward, plain and simple.  As an officer, I would be ashamed to be anywhere near this man.  He is a disgrace to himself, his unit and the Army.  We've been talking about this at work and we all agree, this guy is a piece of shit.  Personally I think the whole thing is a publicity stunt.  Ok, I got it, he doesn't agree with the war.  Join the club buddy.  But you took an oath to lead and train the soldiers that are forced to fight in whatever situation congress and the American voters send them in.

It's not as if him refusing to deploy changed anything, some other officer was appointed to go in his place.  This man is a coward and I hope they give the son of a bitch the maximum sentence.  He can play martyr and hero while rotting in leavenworth for a few years.

Hey Guns, part of me agrees with you and your office, but then another part of me tells me that I wish we had a few more Ehren Watadas in World War 2 Germany.   

I hope he serves his time in a dignified manner.  He does belong in jail.  I feel so sorry for these kids fighting an unjust war.  It's very sad. 

while not as passionately, i agree more with guns on this then not.  If you don't believe in the war, you still do what you signed up to do.  Even moreso he has men under him who are relying on him.  If you don't believe in the war, then believe in the guy next to you and do all you can to make sure he comes home in one piece.

Excellent point about WW2 Germany though Axl4Prez.  Although I don't think what america is doing is as bad as Nazi Germany in terms of the holocaust (but don't get me wrong, its pretty bad what we've done to that country and its people already).

this was is a shit storm to say the least.

I'll be very curious to see how history judges this war (and the assholes who started it) 20-30-40 years from now.

[Axl4Prez2004]

Hanna, that's why I said he must do the time.  Of course he has an obligation.  That's what you sign up for when you join the military. 

About the 20-30-40 years thing however...I think it'll take longer than that.  Here's why.  At some point, some wacko extremist will succeed in killing large numbers of people somewhere in the U.S.  It will happen.  How and when, nobody knows.  Once it does though, people who once disagreed with our heavy-handed dealings in the Middle East will quickly switch sides and honor the current president for trying to head it off at the beginning of the 21st century.

Personally, I think the president's actions are harming this nation's future by breeding world-wide contempt for our nation.  Oh well, I don't lose sleep over it.  To function, you just can't. 

[The Dog]

At some point, some wacko extremist will succeed in killing large numbers of people somewhere in the U.S.  It will happen.  How and when, nobody knows.  Once it does though, people who once disagreed with our heavy-handed dealings in the Middle East will quickly switch sides and honor the current president for trying to head it off at the beginning of the 21st century.

perhaps, but i think history will point to the iraq war as the REASON why we were attacked again, or why attacks have escalated since.  its fact that this war has produced MORE terrorists (and more as everyday passes).

[Axl4Prez2004]

^agreed.   

[nycangel]

i agree with everyone that says he has an obligation. he may not believe in the war but hes  a Lt. and has a duty to be there. i think he deserves prison if he refuses to serve his country. he should go and if he wants to make a fuss fine, let him make his point known, but he should go.

[SLCPUNK]

The war was is illegal under international law and he has the right to refuse to fight. The man signed up to defend this nation, not use false evidence to invade a country and nation build.

[Axl4Prez2004]

SLC, I agree with your point on the war, but when you sign up for the military you take orders.  He belongs in jail. 

[Guns N RockMusic]

The war was is illegal under international law and he has the right to refuse to fight. The man signed up to defend this nation, not use false evidence to invade a country and nation build.

So our soldiers should have the ability to choose when they want to fight? ?What if he was in Iraq already when he had his moment of "clarity", should anyone be able to say "No, I'm gonna sit this one out." ?He's a volunteer like all members of America's military. ?He got a college degree paid for by teh US govt and agreed to serve as an Officer for x number of years.

Thank god your view is held by a very small minority or we'd have no military at all.

[Bill 213]

As a veteran myself, I'd like to add my 2 cents to this conversation.  I joined the Army in 1998...got out in late 2002 right when all this stuff was starting off.  I joined knowing that if I had to be in battle during my tenure, I'd have to do it...it's there in the contract.  When 9/11 happened, I along with everyone else around me in my unit was very very patriotic...we all wanted to fight.  After that, things took a wrong turn....maybe because I paid very close attention to it I could see that it was a crock of shit immediately.  I mean we're after Al-Qaeda when all of a sudden there's a sharp halt and boom we're on a different path for a different agenda.  I had a $25k re-enlistment bonus and a promotion to SGT thrown at me.  I said no way...my service was up and I have no desire to fight this war.  My time was up anyway so it didn't matter....call me unpatriotic whatever...I don't give a shit...no blood on my hands.
This 1LT signed up AFTER the war....he knew damn well what he was getting into.  Right there in his contract it is required of him to serve his branch of service under time of need.  Regardless if he feels it's wrong or not, he is obligated to do his part.  My view on it is this....he should be stripped of his college degree that the Army paid for.  He should be given a dishonorable discharge and loss of all benefits.  As far as jail goes...I don't think it's needed.  He's going to be judged for his choices all his life.  I can understand if it was cowardice..however, he took the oath as a COMMISSIONED OFFICER to lead hundreds of other troops.  He should be working in a supply unit right now sharpening pencils. 
The war is fucked up..we all know that, but our soldiers are doing a duty that their government (not their country) is paying them to do.  They all chose to do what they're doing....there wasn't a draft.  If it was a draft situation then he would have every right to protest. 

[SLCPUNK]

SLC, I agree with your point on the war, but when you sign up for the military you take orders.  He belongs in jail. 

You should take orders, but what if the orders are illegal? Then what?

[The Dog]

SLC, I agree with your point on the war, but when you sign up for the military you take orders.  He belongs in jail. 

You should take orders, but what if the orders are illegal? Then what?

SLC I see your point and Axl4prez alluded to the same thing - but while the war is illegal, i don't think you can compare this to the atrocities the nazi soldiers committed in ww2.   If war movies (and the books they are based on) have taught me anything, whether its ww2 with saving private ryan, vietnam with we were soldiers or somalia with black hawk down - whether or not the troops agreed with the mission at hand or not, they all followed their orders and were there for EACH OTHER.  Sometimes its the guy next to you you fight for, not the orders themselves.

I agree with most everyone here...its one thing if this was a grunt (it'd still be wrong not to fight), but this guy is a commissioned officer.  Even worse that he is refusing to do his duty.

[Guns N RockMusic]

The war is fucked up..we all know that, but our soldiers are doing a duty that their government (not their country) is paying them to do.? They all chose to do what they're doing....there wasn't a draft.? If it was a draft situation then he would have every right to protest.?

That is the definition of a Patriot.  A Patriot is someone who actively supports their government.  A Nationalist is someone who supports their country.  You can't call yourself a Patriot if you don't support your government.  I guess you could wiggle around and say, well I support The Constitution, so I'm a Patriot.  But such a claim requires no effort and isn't active support.  It's been my experience that people who use this justification don't support the Constitution, but pick and choose certain parts they like, interpret other sections differently than the intent of the authors and just make up their own qualifiers of rights.

The word 'Patriot' is a very powerful word, and people want to be able to use it.  So they just try to redefine the word to suite their needs.  I remember being in school listening to people claiming they were patriots by getting an education  .

I had a recent discussion with someone who is anti-war and said you can't support the troops and be against the war.  I fully agreed with him.  His analogy was this:  If there was a mob boss (Bush) who ordered his hired hit-men (the all volunteer US Armed Forces) to kill someone and they did, would you just blame the Boss and write the hitmen off as doing their job?  I couldn't argue with that. 

If you don't support the US Govt, you're not a Patriot.  You can be a Nationalist if you support America the nation, but you're not a Patriot.

[TAP]

The war is fucked up..we all know that, but our soldiers are doing a duty that their government (not their country) is paying them to do.  They all chose to do what they're doing....there wasn't a draft.  If it was a draft situation then he would have every right to protest. 

That is the definition of a Patriot.  A Patriot is someone who actively supports their government. 

Can you point me to a dictionary which defines it that way.

[Axl4Prez2004]

When I say I am against this war, I believe I am supporting the troops.  If enough Americans voiced their opposition to this war (recently as high as 70% of Americans said it was a mistake to invade Iraq) I believe the powers that be would radically re-think our involvement in Iraq.

Without the 3000 American soldiers dead, and at a fraction of the cost we could have infiltrated and destroyed Al-Qaeda's network.  With the support of peace-loving nations throughout the world, our intelligence services and joint clandestine operations with those nations would have prevented another terrorist attack.  Saddam was no imminent threat to anybody but his own people.  There are thugs like this throughout the world, and I don't see us throwing a hundred thousand troops into their backyards allowing tens of thousands to die as "collateral damage."  Every person killed over there has a very angry relative.  Many are young and impressionable and ready to seek vengeance on the U.S. whether it's warranted or not. 

That said, the guy still belongs in jail.  SLC, you have to understand, it's the military.  If guys were allowed to freely question every order...the hatches would have opened on the beaches of Normandy with guys saying, "It's illegal for you to force me into a rain of machine gun fire."  You'd have one pathetic military if your soldiers couldn't follow orders. 

I'd love to see the movie:  "Patton Meets SLC Punk!"   

[Bill 213]

pa?tri?ot     /ˈpeɪtriət, -ˌɒt or, especially Brit., ˈp?triət/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[pey-tree-uht, -ot or, especially Brit., pa-tree-uht] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
?noun 1. a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. 
2. a person who regards himself or herself as a defender, esp. of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government. 
3. (initial capital letter) Military. a U.S. Army antiaircraft missile with a range of 37 mi. (60 km) and a 200-lb. (90 kg) warhead, launched from a tracked vehicle with radar and computer guidance and fire control. 

Guns 'N rock music, you need to do some researching...........a patriot defends their COUNTRY...not the government.? Read up on some Thomas Paine while you're at it for a little more in depth meaning of what a real patriot is.

[SLCPUNK]

 If guys were allowed to freely question every order...the hatches would have opened on the beaches of Normandy with guys saying, "It's illegal for you to force me into a rain of machine gun fire."  You'd have one pathetic military if your soldiers couldn't follow orders. 

I understand what you are saying, but to me (and the soldier) it is not just any other order, it is an order to perform an illegal act, one which will expedite the death of thousands more people.

"Watada said his refusal to serve in Iraq was based, in part, on his review of the Army Field Manual, which states in a section entitled "Commencement of Hostilities" that "The Charter of the United Nations makes illegal the threat or use of force contrary to the purpose of the United Nations."

Watada said he believes the United States did not get the necessary U.N. approvals to launch the invasion that began in March 2003.

"

Standing up to a government that is lying to you, is patriotic in my opinion, even if you are in the military.