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Vietnam war deserter regrets flight to Canada
Star Tribune ^ | March 21, 2006 | Associated Press

Posted on 03/21/2006 10:51:36 AM PST by wallcrawlr

YAHK, British Columbia — A Vietnam war-era deserter who was caught crossing into the United States and held for a week says he made a mistake when he fled the Marine Corps in 1968.

"When I was 18, I wasn't aware that duty and honor would mean as much to me as they do now," Allen Abney, 56, said Monday in this southeast British Columbia town.

"Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have done what I did 38 years ago," he said. "It wasn't worth it, all the pain I caused my family."

Abney was arrested March 9 while crossing the border to Idaho, something he had done countless times before, but he said that was the first time he was asked for birth certificate as identification. When the Customs agent asked him to pull over, Abney said, he knew he was in trouble.

After a night in custody in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, two Marine investigators took him to a cell in Camp Pendleton, Calif.

"I was read my rights and told of the charges," Abney said. "I was once again a Marine."

He said he was issued combat fatigues and boots, given a haircut and told to trim his mustache to military standards or shave it off altogether. Despite the strain, Abney said he was treated with respect.

"The (Marine Corps) is one of the finest military organizations in the world," he said. "Good or bad, they take care of their own and I feel privileged to have shared some time with those fine young warriors."

(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: coward; deserter; talkischeap
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Previous threads on this fella:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1596276/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1595937/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1598054/posts

1 posted on 03/21/2006 10:51:40 AM PST by wallcrawlr
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To: wallcrawlr

You'll never hear that from Bill Clinton.


2 posted on 03/21/2006 10:53:06 AM PST by Jersey Republican Biker Chick (Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.)
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To: wallcrawlr
"When I was 18, I wasn't aware that duty and honor would mean as much to me as they do now," Allen Abney, 56, said Monday in this southeast British Columbia town.

"Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have done what I did 38 years ago," he said. "It wasn't worth it, all the pain I caused my family."

The wisdom of age speaking.

3 posted on 03/21/2006 10:54:21 AM PST by TheDon (The Democratic Party is the party of TREASON!)
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To: wallcrawlr
But, but, but, I thought Jimmy Carter pardoned all these deserters and draft dodgers?!?!?!?!?!
4 posted on 03/21/2006 10:55:23 AM PST by RetiredArmy (Democrats: The communist, socialist, and Al Qaeda loving party of America.)
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To: RetiredArmy

I think that did not include active-duty deserters.


5 posted on 03/21/2006 10:56:56 AM PST by SuzyQue
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To: wallcrawlr
"When I was 18, I wasn't aware that duty and honor would mean as much to me as they do now," Allen Abney, 56, said Monday in this southeast British Columbia town.

I wonder how much of his poor judgment was due to anti-American propaganda by liberal student demonstrators, the useful idiots of the American left.

6 posted on 03/21/2006 10:56:56 AM PST by American Quilter
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To: fanfan; GMMAC; Clive

ping

You know I have lived in British Columbia all my life and I never knew there was a town named Yahk.


7 posted on 03/21/2006 10:57:48 AM PST by Daralundy
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To: wallcrawlr
He's a deserter. Doesn't that mean we get to shoot him?

I was astonished to read that they are clearing his record. Makes no sense at all. He made his canadian exile bed now he should be forced to either serve his prison term (or firing squad) or lie in it and stay in Canada until he dies..

8 posted on 03/21/2006 10:58:08 AM PST by John O (God Save America (Please))
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To: RetiredArmy

It wasn't exactly a "pardon."

Military deserters and AWOLs could apply for a limited pardon if there were no other charges pending. Under the Carter program deserters would automatically receive a less than honorable discharge ("Undesirable"), but could apply for an upgrade later. The upgrade would not be automatic and few veterans received them. They were barred from receiving veterans benefits, unlike many other vets with less than honorable discharges. Military resisters had to apply for relief within a certain time frame, about 5-6 months, during 1977. Only 4,200 of them were considered eligible for the program; less than 25% of them were processed and received the less-than-honorable discharge. The program allowed for a case-by-case review of potentially another 430,000 cases of veterans with bad discharges; yet only 16,277 benefited from this procedure.


9 posted on 03/21/2006 10:59:13 AM PST by Lunatic Fringe (Olfrygt: the nagging fear of being unable to find beer while out of town.)
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To: wallcrawlr

He should have been hung on national tv instead of being turned loose.


10 posted on 03/21/2006 10:59:39 AM PST by El Gran Salseron (The FR Canteen's Resident Equal Opportunity Male Chauvinist Pig! :-))
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To: SuzyQue

But Jimmy was so against war, I though he pardoned everyone in all countries, from the beginning of time till now. I thought it was a UN sanctioned world wide blanket pardon??? /sarcasm still on. :)


11 posted on 03/21/2006 11:00:10 AM PST by RetiredArmy (Democrats: The communist, socialist, and Al Qaeda loving party of America.)
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To: Lunatic Fringe

See my response @ 11. :)


12 posted on 03/21/2006 11:01:00 AM PST by RetiredArmy (Democrats: The communist, socialist, and Al Qaeda loving party of America.)
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To: Daralundy; GMMAC; Pikamax; Former Proud Canadian; Great Dane; Alberta's Child; headsonpikes; ...
Image hosting by Photobucket
13 posted on 03/21/2006 11:03:18 AM PST by fanfan ( "We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality" - Ayn Rand)
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To: wallcrawlr
I was once again a Marine.

No. You are not. Dipsh*t.
14 posted on 03/21/2006 11:06:39 AM PST by Spruce (Keep your mitts off my wallet)
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To: wallcrawlr
"When I was 18, I wasn't aware that duty and honor would mean as much to me as they do now," Allen Abney, 56, said...

Hindsight is always 20-20, bozo.

Too little, too late.

Go to hell.

15 posted on 03/21/2006 11:07:51 AM PST by OldSmaj (Hey Islam...I flushed a koran today and I let my dog pp on it first. Come get me, moon bats!)
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To: wallcrawlr
Abney was born in the United States and grew up in Canada, but he retained his American citizenship and enlisted with the Marines in 1968 shortly after his younger brother received a draft notice. He was sent to boot camp at Camp Pendleton but fled to Vancouver during a weekend leave. He became a Canadian citizen in 1977.

Something wrong in this story or this guy is bull s***ing.

He's 56 years old, joined the Mariens in 1968 at the age of 18, after his "younger brother" got his draft notice.

We didn't draft 17 year old kids so his "younger" brother could not have been drafted.

I suspect the reporter is just a typical lamestream media-idiot J-school grad.

16 posted on 03/21/2006 11:08:13 AM PST by Ditto
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To: Daralundy

It's near Yada-yada-yada.........


17 posted on 03/21/2006 11:08:52 AM PST by Red Badger (And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him...)
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To: wallcrawlr
I feel privileged to have shared some time with those fine young warriors.

I'll bet it was all they could do not to drop him where he stood. Traitor.
18 posted on 03/21/2006 11:10:17 AM PST by steel_resolve (An intolerant culture will seek to impose it's will on the tolerant one.)
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To: wallcrawlr

Well,

It's been 38 years. He's old. He regrets his actions or at least pretends to.

What should we do? He’s no NAZI war criminal that executed thousands. He didn’t do any evil onto others per say.

I think at this point the only right thing to do is to publicly humiliate him. Show his face, his name and publicly disclose what he did. Let him live the rest of his life with a paper bag over his head. Besides, he’s been living the life of a semi exiled criminal for these 38 years. Going further than public humiliation would be to make ourselves into the bad guys here.


19 posted on 03/21/2006 11:12:05 AM PST by Red6
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To: wallcrawlr

Apply the Heinleinian solution: One hundred lashes from a whip, a dishonorable discharge, and barred from voting forever.


20 posted on 03/21/2006 11:13:25 AM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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