U.S. Military Deserters in Canada Megathread

[Wookilar]

Just came across CTV Newsnet that Hinzman lost another round and was ordered deported. Looking for print-confirmation.

Wook

 

[Wookilar]

LINK: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/08/13/6436051-cp.html

U.S. army deserter Hinzman ordered deported

By THE CANADIAN PRESS
   
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — One of the first U.S. army deserters from Iraq to seek refugee status in Canada has been ordered deported.

Jeremy Hinzman deserted the army in 2004 after learning his unit was to be deployed to Iraq.

He refused to participate in what he calls an immoral and illegal war.

Hinzman fled to Canada along with his wife and son and sought refugee status.

Today, he was ordered out of the country by Sept. 23.

The Immigration and Refugee Board rejected his claim in 2005 and the Federal Court of Appeal held that he wouldn’t face any serious punishment if returned to the United States.

Hinzman took his pleas to the Supreme Court of Canada, which also refused to hear the case.

 

[aesop081]

Nah Nah Nah , Nah Hah Nah Hey Hey Hey Goodbye.........

 

[Wookilar]

hehehehehe you beat me to it lol.

Do we have a hand-wavy or rasberry-blowing smilie? Need to find one like that....

Wook

 

[PMedMoe]

How about these?

 

[Snafu-Bar]

Why join the forces if your going to call war immoral and flee your country? Seems to me he made a bad choice in offering himself to his country in the first place.

:

 

[Strike]

Why join the forces if your going to call war immoral and flee your country? Seems to me he made a bad choice in offering himself to his country in the first place.

:

Because he wanted the benefits of a free education?  ;D

 

[Wookilar]

Exactly....he'll fight to defend himself but won't go out on an attack? Concientious-objector status has a long history in the U.S. and he didn't make the grade on it.

Moe: Those are great! Thanx! But I was hoping for something more malicious to use....a mean smilie, if you know what I mean  ;D

Wook

 

[Danjanou]

Moe: Those are great! Thanx! But I was hoping for something more malicious to use....a mean smilie, if you know what I mean  ;D

Wook

best I could come up with

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/93/93pbuhbye.phtml

 

[Jarnhamar]

What if he joined because his government said there was proof Iraq had WMD's and he needed to protect his family

 

[aesop081]

Why join the forces if your going to call war immoral and flee your country?

He did not call war immoral, he called THIS war immoral. Theres a difference there.

 

[Snafu-Bar]

He did not call war immoral, he called THIS war immoral. Theres a difference there.

  I still fail to see how one offers thier services to thier country knowing the full extent of conditions upon entering.  Still makes him look like a turncoat to anyone in the forces.

I'm going to assume there are other ways of not going into action if one feels they are detrimental to the troops around them.  :-\

Cheers.

 

[aesop081]

Still makes him look like a turncoat to anyone in the forces.

I never said he wasnt an idiot, just that what you said was not a correct reflection of what the individual had stated.

 

[danchapps]

  I still fail to see how one offers thier services to thier country knowing the full extent of conditions upon entering.  Still makes him look like a turncoat to anyone in the forces.

I'm going to assume there are other ways of not going into action if one feels they are detrimental to the troops around them.  :-\

Cheers.

Well, it does say he came here in 2004, and he served for 2 years prior to AWOL, so maybe he joined up to get glory after 9/11. It's just a thought, maybe he meant well, but didn't think far enough ahead about what G.W.B. might be doing.

 

[LineDoggie]

What if he joined because his government said there was proof Iraq had WMD's and he needed to protect his family

Name one who did?

 

[old medic]

Soldier who fled to Canada to plead guilty in U.S.
Thu. Aug. 21 2008

The Associated Press

FORT CARSON, Colo. -- An American soldier who fled to Canada when his unit was deployed to Iraq plans to plead guilty Friday to a reduced charge of desertion, his lawyer said.

Pte. Robin Long, 25, of Boise, Idaho, faces up to three years in prison and a dishonourable discharge, civilian defence lawyer James Branam said Thursday.

Long fled Canada in 2005, but Canadian authorities denied his request for refuge and deported him in July of this year.

Branam said Long has reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to desertion with intent to remain away permanently, a lesser charge than desertion with intent to shirk hazardous duty.

Army prosecutors declined to comment.

Branam said Long's sentence will be determined Friday.

"Yes, he did break the law, he committed a wrong, but he shouldn't be punished harshly because he had a lot of good reasons to do what he did," Branam said.

"He believes very sincerely he couldn't participate in this war in good conscience," Branam said.

Long also feared his fellow soldiers would be at risk in combat if Long "couldn't pull the trigger" because of moral qualms, Branam said.

Another U.S. soldier who sought refugee status in Canada was ordered out of the country this month.

Jeremy Hinzman deserted from Fort Bragg, N.C., in 2004 after learning his unit was to be deployed to Iraq. Hinzman has said the war is immoral and illegal.

He said last week he was ordered to leave Canada by Sept. 23.

 

[geo]

desertion with intent to remain away permanently, VS
desertion with intent to shirk hazardous duty...

Oy vey!!!
WTF - talk about splitting hairs!

 

[geo]

Jeremy Hinzman deserted from Fort Bragg, N.C., in 2004 after learning his unit was to be deployed to Iraq. Hinzman has said the war is immoral and illegal.

Figure that the prosecution will propose the same kind of plea bargain......

Desertion with intent to remain away permanently

 

[OldSolduer]

Well let's rid ourselves of a few more.

Why did they not ask for duty that involves assisting wounded soldiers? That's just as honorable, if not more so.

 

[geo]

I doubt that option was proposed...