Posted on 07/16/2007 5:18:07 PM PDT by jazusamo
The start of a court-martial for a Fort Lewis officer who refused to deploy to Iraq last year has been moved from July 23 to Oct. 9, a spokesman at the Army post said Monday morning. Both the government and the defense for Lt. Ehren Watada requested that the date be pushed back, and the military judge agreed, according to Joseph Piek, the Fort Lewis spokesman.
The October date, if it stands, would put Watada back in court at about the same time his Stryker brigade -- the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division -- is scheduled to return from Iraq after a 15-month deployment.
The move does not come as a big surprise. Earlier this month, Watada's new attorneys tried to get military judge Lt. Col. John Head to disqualify himself from the case and also tried to invoke Watada's right not to be prosecuted twice for the same crime, known as double jeopardy.
Head rejected the motions, and Watada's attorneys, Kenneth Kagan and James Lobsenz, immediately filed notice that they will appeal the double-jeopardy ruling.
Head is the same judge who declared a mistrial in Watada's first court-martial in February after he questioned whether the officer understood a pretrial agreement he'd signed.
Watada is charged with missing his unit's movement to Iraq in June 2006 and four counts of conduct unbecoming an officer for negative comments he made about President Bush and the war.
He faces up to six years in prison and dismissal from the Army if convicted.
Watada contends he had a duty to miss the flight with his Stryker brigade. He contends the war is illegal and that he would be party to war crimes if he participated in any way.
(Excerpt) Read more at thenewstribune.com ...
“delay for the antiwar crowd to get more mileage “
Right on the money!
Wow -
Here, I’ll save the military the cost:
The statements he made ARE unbecoming : not debatable.
He intentionally missed the movement of his brothers in arms : not debatable.
There - all done.
Guilty of being a scumbag.
Next.
You've got his number, 0 4.
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