Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Adventurer]

A U.S. Army soldier who fled to Canada rather than return to Iraq has disappeared again, this time just a day after surrendering to the military.
Pvt. Kyle Snyder, 23, of Colorado Springs, Colo., told The Associated Press he was supposed to return by bus to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., Louisville on Tuesday but didn't go. He said he went AWOL after Fort Knox officials told him he would be sent back to his unit, the 94th Engineer Battalion.

"I came back in good faith," Snyder said Wednesday by phone. "I put my trust in them one more time. Why should I put my trust in them again when I can just go back to Canada?"

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/11/01/D8L4KQD00.html

[I am not sure I support this soldier because whether you sign up for the military in the U.S. or Canada, you know there are risks. I can understand if you object to it as an illegal war.]

[canuckistan]

He was supposed to get an "other than honorable discharge" upon his return. I don't what kind of deal he worked out with them, but I'm assuming it wasn't supposed to include being returned to his unit.

The guy saw what he believed to be an innocent man get killed in Iraq.

While enlisting has it responsibilites everyone is aware of when they sign up and serve, I also believe people have to live by their consciences, which in the end I don't think can rightfully be superceded by any authority.

Some people just don't have the stomach for killing other humans and still getting a good sleep at night. We see enough of those chaptered out of the army every month. I guess one never knows how one handles it until you've got it right in your face.

[Meegook]

The Iraq war is an illegal undeclared war started on false pretenses by treasonous murderers who should be arrested, tried and hung.

Kudos to those in the military who uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States and refuse to involve themselves in an illegal war led by a lying Commander in Thief who admits he thinks the Constitution is just a 'goddamned piece of paper' and that torture is acceptable and habeas corpus is a relic of the past and the Geneva Convention doesn't apply to him or his cronies and can't wait to declare martial law and put a bullet in the back of the heads of those who disagree with him.

[Adventurer]

Canuckistan, I am in accord with you that one must consult one's conscience when serving in war. Yet, I do have a question. How many wars have soldiers where one doesn't see another soldier kill a civilian? It happens in every conflict. You might argue that the difference is that the U.S. government has ignored atrocities or war crimes by soldiers until CDs with photos come to surface. The military has covered up too many things. Also, the Iraq War violates the international law. However, it does not clearly violate the U.S. Constitution as Meegook stated. If this soldier was given the impression he would get a less than honourable discharge, and he has proof of that, then he should leave the U.S. and make Canada his home.

Half of Canadians do not want the soldiers in Afghanistan. I am sure some civilians have been killed by members of the NATO forces.
What if a Canadian soldier decides not to serve? Would you oppose his court-martial, even though the said soldier is not a pacifist per se?

[spliff]

I hope they shoot his ass in the back!

[NAVFC]

The wholemwar being illegal (which it WAS NOT) should not be a factor. First off even when your being processed for a OTH you are still returned to your uunit while the paper work is processed
secondly, even if a individual soldier believes a war is illegal he is still required to fight it, he is how ever obligated to disobey any UNLAWFUL orders while in such conflict. For instance The nazis. invaded people left and right, totally illegal, but it was the nazis leadership who was tried, the soldiers, the ones who fought within the laws of armed conflict, weren't tried for anything as they had done nothing wrong. Its when you get into war crimes, IE: civilian killing, etc etc that individual soldiers are tried for war crimes, but fighting in a war ordered by your government, , done with in the LOAC by the individual soldier, is legal for that soldier whether or not the war was illegal. The legality or not of the war is a burden the leadership must bear and pay the consequences for.

But this was is legal and just. No one has ruled the war to be illegal. In Afghanistan, the taliban government sheltered al qaeda and thus was open to legal attack.
Iraq was already in violation of several UN resolutions on things such as human rights R/D on missiles with range greater then that permitted by UN resolution, and even the UN declared Iraqs "full final" WMD disclosure was a lie and said it failed to account for much of the known Iraqi stockpile.
On those pretenses alone, legality can be found.

[Meegook]

[Gopher]

[NAVFC]

[Gopher]

[NAVFC]

Also Meegook I forgot to add this, do you know why soldiers are required to fight, (WITHIN lines of LOAC IE: no abuses of civilians, etc) regardless of there opinion of the war? If they made a law stating soldiers didnt have to fight if they thought (IE THERE OPINION) that the war was illegal wed have a in effective military. Then, any soldier could refuse orders based on his own opinion. Soldiers would be in effect, able to pick and choose their wars. and that is NOT going to happen. That is why you are still required to go. This is why you didnt see the trying of every single german soldier (only ones who committed war cimes)
A Military is bound to the chain of command, and as long as said chain of command doesnt ask you to commit atrocities, , you will obey. Soldiers do not pick their wars.
We, the US military, volunteer fully aware that we must obey our orders.
I will obey them too.
For instance, I am half Mexican. If the US ever got into a war with mexico, regardless of my ethnicity, I would obey my orders and fight with all of my ability as I am obliged to do so.
This is the burden of the soldier, the sailor, the airmen, and it is a burden we accept willingly, to defend our natin and our freedom.
This is soemthing you do not understand megook.

[Meegook]

[Meegook]

[supernick]

[Meegook]