Saturday, March 27, 2004
Army prosecuting AWOL conscientious objector for desertion
Looks like we have our first refusenik.
So, the troops have somehow gotten wind of the idea that one reason for the Iraqi war was oil, and they don't much like that. The second reason is the "flypaper theory," and they don't much like that either.
I have a suggestion that should make this whole problem go away: Sergeant Mejia should apply to Harvard Business School and then "work it out" with the Army. After all, that's what his commander in chief did!
UPDATE Alert reader dave notes that Stephen Funk was the first refusenik.
The U.S. Army has charged Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia of North Miami -- who extended a two-week leave into a five-month absence -- with desertion from the war in Iraq, authorities said Friday.
Mejia, 28, was the first soldier to refuse to go back to the war and publicly declare himself a conscientious objector.
He was absent without leave for five months before surfacing and returning last week to his unit in Fort Stewart, Ga.
The Florida National Guardsman -- in hiding since Oct. 15, when he was supposed to return to the Sunni triangle -- is seeking an honorable discharge as a conscientious objector.
He said he decided not to return from his leave in October because it was an ''immoral war'' for the purpose of oil and money.
(via The Miami Herald)
So, the troops have somehow gotten wind of the idea that one reason for the Iraqi war was oil, and they don't much like that. The second reason is the "flypaper theory," and they don't much like that either.
[Florida National Guard Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia], a squad leader charged with deserting his unit on Oct. 16 after he didn't return to Iraq following a 15-day home leave, has filed for conscientious objector status with the Pentagon. He is seeking an honorable discharge and dismissal of any charges, according to his civilian attorney, Louis Font, of Brookline, Mass., and GI advocate Tod Ensign of the group Citizen Soldier in New York.
[Mejia] has accused his commanders of using U.S. soldiers as "bait" to draw out Iraqi fighters and engage in excessive firefights to kill the enemy and accumulate combat badges and Purple Hearts, sometimes putting Iraqi civilians in harm's way.
His commanders have vehemently denied those accusations. Mejia said his opposition to war gradually solidified after his 124th Infantry Regiment arrived in Iraq last April and he has accused the Bush administration of invading Iraq for its lucrative oil reserves.
(via Knight Ridder Kansas City Star)
I have a suggestion that should make this whole problem go away: Sergeant Mejia should apply to Harvard Business School and then "work it out" with the Army. After all, that's what his commander in chief did!
UPDATE Alert reader dave notes that Stephen Funk was the first refusenik.
