Army officer refuses to support "illegal and immoral war"
"Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others" ~ Aristotle
When Lieutenant Ehren Watada's Army unit from Fort Lewis, WA leaves for Mosul in northern Iraq this month, he will not be among them. The 28-year-old Army officer will formally refuse today to ship out when his unit deploys to Iraq.
(以下省略)
☆Officer at Fort Lewis calls Iraq war illegal, refuses order to go(米紙シアトルタイムズ)
In a rare case of officer dissent, a Fort Lewis Army lieutenant has refused orders to head out to Iraq this month to lead troops in what he believes is an illegal war of occupation.
1st Lt. Ehren Watada was scheduled to make his first deployment to Iraq this month. His refusal to accompany the Stryker brigade troops puts him at risk of court martial and years of prison time.
(以下省略)
☆US officer refuses to fight in Iraq citing war crimes(ニュージーランド紙「New Zealand Herald」)
WASHINGTON - A US Army officer has refused to fight in Iraq, saying it would make him "party to war crimes".
First Lieutenant Ehren Watada's supporters - including clergy and a military family group - said he was the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse to serve in Iraq and risked being court-martialled.
The Pentagon said Watada was among a number of officers and enlisted personnel who have applied for conscientious objector status.
A US Army officer says that fighting in the war in Iraq will make him "party to war crimes" and he will not go.
First Lieutenant Ehren Watada's supporters - including clergy and a military family group - said he is the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse to serve in Iraq and risked being court-martialed.
The Pentagon said First Lt Watada was among a number of officers and enlisted personnel who have applied for conscientious objector status.