Soldier from San Angelo goes AWOL, cites morals (total and complete barf)

San Angelo Standard-Times ^ | April 17, 2004 | Rick Smith

[TexasCowboy]

In my years as a young man in San Angelo, I would have loved to have known this kid.
I would have taken him to Zenter's Daughter, bought him a steak and tried to talk some sense into him.

Failing that, I would have taken him out to the spillway and kicked the living crap out of him!

[TexKat]

Their sacrifices WILL NEVER have been in vain!

[LucyJo]

That is exactly what he needed, and in that order.

I'd like to hear that the professional anti-war protestors, who are using the kid now, had been "taken to a spillway" too. They deserve worse.

[LucyJo]

Thank you for this post, TexKat. Prayers going up for the loved ones.

[sistergoldenhair]

Beautiful.

[TankerKC]

I feel that if a soldier is given an order that he knows to not only be illegal, but immoral as well, then it his responsibility to refuse that order," he wrote in response to e-mailed questions from the San Angelo Standard-Times. "It is also my belief that if a soldier is refusing an order he knows to be wrong, it is not right for him to face persecution for it."

Is running away the same as facing persecution? No. If the kid had any balls, he would have refused the order and stayed to accept the consequences.

[PhilDragoo]

This little schmuck can stay in Canada and the U.S. can bill his daddy for the stolen taxpayer dollars it took to train him.

He's not "a soldier"--he's a criminal.

He's got zero morals so he can't have a moral objection.

He claims the war is "illegal"--a nonstarter.

His is a simple case of prison for years.

The network that enables him should be rounded up and presented to the hard-timers for recreational purposes.

[devolve]

Paper-Cut Pansy


Another "be-1" Kerryitte

[boxerblues]

Peoples always try to weasel out of their service during basic/boot training

This POS joined in 2003 well into the war in Iraq, he can't be that blind to what is going on in the world. If he really thought that the war was illegal, immoral or what ever the Army gives them the opportunity to walk away right up to the day of graduation from boot camp. Why didnt he walk then? This kid had an agenda from day 1 to get his 15 minutes of fame.

[hellinahandcart]

This kid had an agenda from day 1 to get his 15 minutes of fame.

I think so too. Especially after I found out he was seventeen when he enlisted and had to get his parents' permission to sign up. So he had to portray himself as very gung-ho at one point, yes?

I don't think anyone can be brainwashed that quickly, so he had to have had some involvement with these peacenik clowns beforehand. Maybe a teacher at his high school. I think he enlisted for the sole purpose of deserting later as a political statement.

[Sapper26]

When I enlisted 20 years ago, my father made it very clear to me that if I ever felt a strong urge to run to Canada - I needn't return. He also said that if he found out where I was, he'd come up and bring me back - strapped to the hood. Times change I guess.

[boxerblues]

Sounds like his web site needs a good freeping lol. This kid is pathetic

[hellinahandcart]

Instead of acting like used car salesmen, recruiters need to blunt and sober on what kids should expect when they join up, and give them some time to talk it over with their folks.

This kid HAD to talk it over with his folks first, because he was a minor when he signed up.

So at what point do you think we can blame the kid for his own actions, rather than everyone else?

[bullseye1911]

"It is also my belief that if a soldier is refusing an order he knows to be wrong, it is not right for him to face persecution for it."

You won't, you little turd! You face prosecution, big difference.

[boxerblues]

Blame the recruiters, who sell a cheerful vision of the military to high-schoolers who haven't made up their minds on what they really want to do with their lives when they graduate and rarely discuss the issue of enlistment with their parents or relatives

Don't blame the recruiters, both of my sons recruiters were more than willing to spend as much time with us as we wanted. They were very blunt and to the point when it came to my youngest son who joined up as we were already at war in Afghanistan. There was no sugar coating of the truth for him. He signed on as a tank crew member with a 99.9% chance of being deployed right out AIT. This kid and possibly his parents had an agenda from the very beginning. He had the option of walking without consequences before bootcamp was over.

[DocJ69]

Heck when I was in Nam, we used to laugh about ways to get to Canada, but we always had to wait to get done with our Tour of Duty. I don't personally of anyone that ran. However upon my return to the States I used to go with Marines to pick up Cowards. As a Corpsman I was there to put Band aids on them in case they fell down. I would fall asleep and wake up and they would have bruises on there yellow bodies, never could figure that out.

[AgentEcho]

I had the exact same feeling on the timeline of the yellow stripe forming down his back...

Æ

[AgentEcho]

Oh this is just total and complete BARF. From his website:

Michael Moore made Jeremy Hinzman's site his link of the week. How rad is that?

Moore's support of Jeremy has followed a deluge of interest in the story, and the phone has been ringing off the hook with media inquiries. That, plus lots of finicky paperwork, has kept Brandon very busy of late. Perhaps slightly less important (but only very slightly so), there's the playoffs and planning for his 19th birthday. Brandon has become a fanatical Leafs devotee ... For those of you in the rest of Canada, please don't hold it against him.

Æ

[GSWarrior]

Soldiers have been going AWOL since day one. The difference today is that deserters are now given a microphone and unlimited column inches in the press.

[boxerblues]

My mother of all people unknowingly helped a friend of my brother on his way to Canada. They both came on a weekend pass, this kid told my Mom that he was being shipped to another base and would she fix him some sandwichs and other goodies for the long bus ride. Come Sunday night they took my brother & his friend to the station and saw them off, it want until years later my Mom found out this kid hop on the first bus to Canada