Fort Lewis Officer Says He’ll Refuse To Deploy
Posted on June 6, 2006
Photo found thanks to Michelle via Sanctuary
Hat tip to Leaning Straight Up who says all that needs to be said. We will also leave questioning his patriotism for others. It is obvious he was hypnotised by the evil Bushitler and was not actually aware of the what he was saying when he made an oath to obey the orders of those appointed over him.
As thousands of Fort Lewis Army troops prepare to head back to Iraq, one of their officers is making a stand.
A lieutenant says he is going to refuse to go, saying it’s an unjust war. Anti-war groups are rallying to his defense.
Lt. Ehren Watada of the Stryker Brigade writes, “I refuse to be silent any longer. I refuse to watch families torn apart, while the President tells us to ‘stay the course.’ I refuse to be party to an illegal and immoral war against people who did nothing to deserve our aggression.
“I wanted to be there for my fellow troops. But the best way was not to help drop artillery and cause more death and destruction. It is to help oppose this war and end it so that all soldiers can come home.” - signed LT.
His name had been kept a secret until now, but Lt. Watada’s father confirms that his son is taking this bold step and told the Honolulu Advertiser newspaper that he’s proud of his son.
Fort Lewis says since the lieutenant hasn’t done anything official yet, there’s no violation. But should he decide to go ahead with this, he could be charged with ‘desertion’ or more likely with ‘missing the movement’ of his unit.
It’s happened before with a sergeant who refused to go. Sgt. Kevin Benderman was sentenced to 15 months for refusing to go to Iraq.
Lt. Watada asked for reassignment and tried resigning his commission, but the Army refused. His attorney tells us from Hawaii that Watada is not against all wars, just this one.
“I’ve been doing this for nearly 40 years and I’m somewhat astounded that in the context of a war that is becoming increasing unpopular that they are relatively unsophisticated in addressing these issues,” said attorney Eric Seitz from Hawaii.
This doesn’t sit well with fellow soldiers.
“We’re here to serve our country and fight and that’s his job,” said Private Nathan Hanson. “It’s his duty.”
Anti-war protestors, many of which demonstrated at the Port of Olympia recently, are rushing to his aid. They have put up a Web site believing he’s the first commissioned officer to refuse to go.
The lieutenant says he’ll make his intentions official Wednesday at noon and that’s when his defense team will kick into gear.Source
Karl over at Leaning Straight Up hopes he is prepared for the consequences. It is pretty clear this man will be doing some time. I’m sure the left will prop this guy up as a shining example to his fellow soldiers. Right? It was bravery not cowardice, right??
One commentator at Wizbang has the question of the day.
Wonder if he’ll refuse to go to Leavenworth, too?
Others:
Blackfive
Riehlworld View
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiller
Castle Argghhh!
Hot Air
» Filed Under News, War On Terror
Trackback URL
Comments
15 Responses to “Fort Lewis Officer Says He’ll Refuse To Deploy”
Affiliations
The Giants
-
When those generals were speaking up, people said they should have resigned if they didn’t agree. Now someone does.
Fort Lewis Officer Says He Will Refuse to Go to Iraq
Lieutentant Ehren Watada has said he will refuse to go to Iraq when his Stryker Brigade is deployed. As thousands of Fort Lewis Army troops prepare to head back to Iraq, one of their officers is making a stand. A…
How Not To Refuse Unlawful Orders
Expect the evening news tomorrow night to be filled with stories of a “brave” Army Lieutenant. The actions he’ll be lauded for don’t fit the traditional definition of bravery, but you’ll see pundits far and wide hailing his actions. Here’s what h…
Mini - Dawn Patrol
Attention MilBlogs, because of the MilBlog’s coverage of Haditha we are losing a MilBlog Ring Member Via email: The response on the part of MilBloggers to the alleged Haditha incident has in my opinion been deplorable, and I no longer…
Army Officer Says He Refuses to Deploy
A lieutenant stationed at Ft Lewis, Washington has said that the war in Iraq is immoral, and that he will refuse any deployment order. He claims that he is “not against fighting in wars, just this particular war.”
SEATTLE - As thousands of …
A DESERTER, NOT A “DISSENTER”
In a rare case of officer dissent, a Fort Lewis Army lieutenant has refused orders to head out to Iraq this month to lead troops in what he believes is an illegal war of occupation.
Fort Leavenworth has the correct bedroom for this individual. He took an oath that he is not keeping.
[...] The usual suspects… I’m tired of covering these liberal idiots. Others covering this: Stop the ACLU The Media Blog CatHouse Chat Ace of Spades HQ Wizbang [...]
Another Day, Another Coward
Let’s just skip all the hoopla and take the dumbass out and shoot him. …
[...] More on the media circus from the Army Times. And John Stephenson. [...]
[...] (Excellent roundup of reactions and additional info at LC & IB Michelle Malkin’s). LC & IB Jay at Stop the ACLU has a few things too, now that his server is back up. Welcome back, Jay! Useless Swine Posted by Emperor Darth Misha I @ 3:30 pm | [...]
Wingnut Philosophy 101
And they call us moonbats? Why does everything have to be a conspiracy? Lieutentant Ehren Watada has said he will refuse to go to Iraq when his Stryker Brigade is deployed. “This is more than just one man refusing to…
[...] UPDATE: Others: Confederate Yankee, Wizbang, Stop the ACLU and Riehl World View, Euphoric Reality, MFVOV , Small Town Veteran, bRright and Early, The Sandbox, [...]
It would be nice if the military decided to uphold the law and court-martial him. He is after all violating his constitution oath.
Ehren Watada, Moonbat Hero
Moonbats have heroes like everyone else. But whereas as a normal person’s hero would be characterized by courage, sacrifice, devotion, and honor, a moonbat’s hero displays the traits of cowardice, selfishness, irresponsibility, and ignominiousness. N…