Soldier of conscience

[Monkeyman]

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/03/09/objectors/print.html

From my brothers at VVAWNET

After serving in Iraq Spc. Agustin Aguayo decided the war was wrong and refused to go back--at a very heavy price.

He was found guilty of desertion, slapped with a bad- conduct discharge, stripped of pay and benefits, and sentenced to eight month's imprisonment. But it could of been much worse- the Army wanted him locked away for two years.

[MADem]

1. There is a key point in that article that should not be overlooked

In closing arguments, an Army co-prosecutor made perfectly clear that the court-martial's message was for those increasing number of men and women in uniform who object to what they are being asked to do in Iraq: "It is not OK to abandon your brothers in arms."

But thrown in among the couple dozen journalists on hand for the trial were those for whom Aguayo symbolizes a much different message. They were representatives of the anti-Iraq war movement in the United States and Europe. For them, Aguayo is something of a hero.

It is a role that Aguayo is uncomfortable talking about. For him, it was always about his changing beliefs once he entered the Army. About his growing discomfort with picking up a weapon and his eventual refusal to carry a loaded gun even while serving in a war zone.....Whether he likes it or not, though, Aguayo has become the latest in an ever-growing list of U.S. soldiers making headlines for refusing to fight in Iraq. Some, like Lt. Ehren Watada -- who recently became the first U.S. officer to be court-martialed for opting not to obey orders sending him to Iraq -- argue that the fight is illegal. Others, like Aguayo and Mark Wilkerson, who was sentenced to seven months behind bars in February for desertion, choose the conscientious objector route, saying that their belief systems have changed.

All, though, are needed by an antiwar movement that -- despite widespread disapproval of the war -- has had difficulty gaining traction in the United States. Soldiers who oppose the war reason that those on the front lines of that movement could be just the representatives they need.

"Those who take a public stand give support to those < still in the military > who are against the war and thinking of resisting," said Kelly Dougherty, executive director of Iraq Veterans Against the War. "The only ones who can destroy the myth < that the Iraq war is necessary > are the military."

[Monkeyman]

2. Thank You