Fort Lewis officer to be court-martialed

[David]

AP


SEATTLE - A Fort Lewis lieutenant who challenged the Bush administration's reasons for going to war in Iraq and then refused to deploy to the country will face a military trial, the Army said Thursday.

A convening authority, in this case Fort Lewis commander Lt. Gen. James Dubik, recommended that the Army proceed with a general court-martial against 1st Lt. Ehren Watada.

No date has been set for the trial to begin, Fort Lewis officials said.

Watada was charged with missing troop movement, conduct unbecoming an officer and contempt toward officials for comments he made about President Bush.

The Army later added another specification of conduct unbecoming an officer based on his comments in Seattle during the national convention of Veterans for Peace in August.

Dubik referred only the charges of missing movement and conduct unbecoming an officer, the Army said.

If convicted on all charges, Watada could serve six years confinement and be dismissed from the service.

The 28-year-old officer from Honolulu has said he believes the war is illegal and was first charged after he refused to deploy to Iraq on June 22 with his Fort Lewis Stryker unit, the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

At an Article 32 hearing Aug. 17, prosecutors showed video footage of Watada at the veterans' convention, calling on other soldiers to stop participating in U.S. involvement in Iraq

[39mto39g]

Ahhhhhhh, 1st Lt. Ehren Watada. Just why did you join the military?
Your lucky Im not in charge of your trial.
Loss of Citizenship, deported to a country of your choice, provided they will except you. Or 30 years in prison, Take your pick.
I don't mind people not joining in an all volunteer Army, But then don't pick up the sword, cause if you do, you get sent where they need you, (news flash) .

Ron

[Jerry D]

I guess we will have to show New recruits movies like Hamburger Hill, Firebase Gloria and Heartbreak Ridge to see that Soldiers get killed in War. Seems that all these new recruits have ever seen is the ones with anti heroes like Tom Cruise in Born on the forth of July or Coming Home.We all know when we sign on the bottom line we are the US Governments person till the end of our tour of duty and the UCMJ is very clear what a member can say or do while in uniform or on duty. I say Watada should be busted to Pvt and sent to Leavenworth KS for at least 5 years hard labor making big rocks out of little ones.

[Advisor]

Wonder if he's a Dem??

[WateringHole]

Hey Jerry.......Don't send him to Leavenworth, that's a Federal Prison. He can advance his education probably get a master, PHD or Doctors degree, he can learn another language, he can get into physical fitness programs, plus get three square meals a day. All at taxpayers expense.
What you want to do is put him in some small pea farm prison where they got chain gangs and they work the prisoners 7/12 with prison gauards on horse back carrying 12 gauges, 00 buck in the chamber. Also with the temperature getting about 100 degrees daily in the summer months.

[SuperScout]

The US Military Correctional Facility is a prison also at Ft. Leavenworth; there's a federal prison just down the road that houses civilian prisoners. Military prisoners are afforded little opportunity for 'fun and games,' unlike many state prisons.

If the Army would issue orders bringing me back on Active Duty, I'd serve without pay just to be on that little POS's court martial, and woe be unto that POS - max penalty as afforded by law.

[WateringHole]

SuperScout.....Ever hear of "Angola" nickname the "Farm". It's a state prison. Doubt if the prisoners there have any spare time for fun and games.
Was not aware military and civilian prisoners were segerated at Leavenworth.

[Robert Ryan]

Heck send him to a Thai Jail in the Jungles, and let the snakes have him.

[Seascamp]

Not to fuss, the 9th District Federal Court will declare the UCMJ unconstitutional, will pre-date a US Army dissolution order, and declare Watada?s Commission and Oath to be a pygmy of the collective right-wing conspiracy imagination. Easy answers and easy outs these days.

Yikes, some redline brig time is fitting to the occasion, but unfortunately the red line was removed some years back and so were the growl-bear Marines that worked the redline. As I recall, MarineVet knows a lot about the Redline brigs.

Scamp