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Originally Posted by Greg700
If this is what you would do if you were forced to serve, then how can you defend a man who volunteered to serve and then refused?
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Watada would have fought in Afghanistan. He would have gone anywhere but Iraq. He didn't refuse to fight, he refused to fight in Iraq. There's a difference.
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Originally Posted by Greg700
I have nothing against people who believe differently than me.
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Thank god.
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Originally Posted by Greg700
I have many friends who are vehemenantly anti-war. They are welcome to protest as much as they want and it doesn't bother me. However, to shirk duties you have taken an oath to fulfill is not something I am OK with. The military cannot allow people to 'sit this one out' simply because they realize they might actually have to go do something unpleasant.
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I'm sure as an enlisted officer, you know someone who has served in Afghanistan. It's not a walk in the park. 357 US soldiers have died in Afghanistan, which by percentage is at least on par with Iraq. Watada isn't suggesting that he sit anything out, he wants to serve his country by fighting and/or bringing to justice those blamed for 9/11. It makes sense to me.
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Originally Posted by Greg700
He wasn't being asked to go bayonet kids. He was tasked with helping to secure and rebuild Iraq so we can end this conflict and come home.
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Watada was making a similar point to that which I was making in the aformentioned thread: the war in Iraq is illegal, and thus it is the duty of a soldier to refuse the illegal order to serve there. According to the letter of the law, he is absolutely right.
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Originally Posted by Greg700
Personally, I think his actions are nothing short of treasonous. I don't think our current crisis is so desperate that it warrants the execution of those who fail to obey orders, but I think he should be punished and severely so.
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Again, the UCMJ is clear about illegal orders. Watada satisfied himself, through serious study and investigation, that his duty was to refuse to fight in Iraq. His actions may seem cowardly to some, but they do follow the law. In my mind, he is a hero for saying in public what so many soldiers say in tents or barraks. He's hardly the only military officer that thinks the war is illegal.