Army Officer Refuses to Deploy...

[PrinceOfLeigh]

Sorry for not reading the rest of the thread but I'll make my point and move on.

I think the war was illegal. Perhaps not immoral, but illegal none the less. I can make that definition as a civilian. If Lt. Watada didn't want to fight in any such war he shouldn't have signed up in the first place. You lose the right to choose which wars you fight in when you start to take Uncle Sam's (or HM's) money.

If, once he gets there he's ordered to do something which is illegal, then he can refuse the order. But I think it is wrong to refuse to go altogether.

The above is obviously IMHO and not based on any Military Law regarding the subject, my knowledge of which is non-existant.

EDIT: Although it may be a point of contention, legally there is no war in Iraq. Rather it is an occupation which is at the request of an elected and recognised government. This is in Law, not necessary in my opinion.

 

[Brian_B]

Good for him! A courageous move, hope he sticks to it.

Courageous? Why did this man join the armed forces in the first place?

 

[malclave]

Joining the army voluntarily is not smart in my eyes

Gee, as someone who served a term back in the '80s... thanks for the insult.

 

[malclave]

If he does not deploy he is refusing to obey an order. This is not political, it is a belief. There are those across the political spectrum that disagree with the war.

Just to pick nits, the oath you quoted is the enlisted oath. The officer's oath is:

"I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God." (http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/faq/oaths.htm)

Courageous? Why did this man join the armed forces in the first place?

I've seen some speculation on that at some milblogs. Apparently, he joined following the invasion of Iraq and is the son of a politician who is against the war.

Nothing concrete... but with that history, as well as calling a press conference to announce that he is planning to disobey an order, I have to wonder if he didn't join in order to make the statement.

 

[blackheart]

Not anything new by any means. The kid just wanted to make his point, like our captain does as well....well....he made his point...and got his court martial.

As always, there are ramifications of what one does and the choices you make. Me? I'd just shut my mouth and put the damn blue beenie on until I was done with the duty. Then I would burn the ****.

Well, he stood up for what he (didn't) believe in, I'd say that is a lot more than those who really hate it but wade on through.

 

[The Yankee]

I've seen some speculation on that at some milblogs. Apparently, he joined following the invasion of Iraq and is the son of a politician who is against the war.

Nothing concrete... but with that history, as well as calling a press conference to announce that he is planning to disobey an order, I have to wonder if he didn't join in order to make the statement.

That is a truly odd set of circumstances, given the chances that he would be deployed eventually. After all, it's easier to choose your war if you're not in the military when it starts. He might have made more of a point if he joined before this war, if his joining date is accurately described as after it started. Unless he has some concrete evidence that it is an illegal order...a huge if...then he is not carrying out his duty.

 

[malclave]

I realize that I didn't provide any support for my speculation... so here goes.

A website has been put up to support Lieutenant Watada's stance; it can be accessed at http://thankyoult.org. This web site was registered a week before the Lieutenant's press conference, and registered to Jeff Paterson of Not In Our Name (http://www.betterwhois.com/bwhois.cgi?verification=2765&domain=thankyoult.org), an anti-war activist.

The biography on the site indicates that Lt. Watada joined the Army in 2003, reporting for training in June 2003. It reports that the Lieutenant first began seeking to resign his commission in January of 2006.

As far as being the son of an antiwar politician, the only reference I've found to that is a secondhand report on a forum post.

 

[A'AbarachAmadan]

In response, Lt. Watada confirmed, “I have a legal and ethical obligation to speak out against, and refuse to fight, this patently illegal war in Iraq. This has not changed.”

Since Congress authorized the use of force, he has no leg to stand on legally.

Following his graduation from Hawaii Pacific University in 2003, Lt. Watada enlisted in the Army as an officer candidate.

The fact that he joined the military AFTER the war began is extremely troubling to me for his position. I really hope he gets the max jail time and a dishonorable discharge.

 

[The Yankee]

I suppose, if you want to be hypothetical, that his views of the war changed after June 2003, when a majority of Americans were behind the war and the hopes of finding the WMDs were still high (and this was pre-Joe Wilson editorial as well).