Watada given pass
Ehren Watada, Army lieutenant and son of a Vietnam-era draft dodger, was given a complete pass by the Army this week on his refusal to deploy with his unit to Iraq, according to CBS News;
Fort Lewis spokesman Joseph Piek wouldn’t confirm Watada’s type of discharge, citing privacy rules. But he said late Friday that Watada’s manner of resignation is described in Army regulations as “resignation for the good of the service in lieu of general court martial.”
Watada, 31, refused to deploy to Iraq with his Fort Lewis, Wash.-based unit in 2006, arguing the war is illegal and that he would be a party to war crimes if he served in Iraq.
So, he’s in the wind and fair game. I’m just glad the POS didn’t deploy with soldiers in his charge.
Thanks to defendUSA for the tip.
Category: Phony soldiers
Glad I didn’t rely on him for CAS. His replacement was ok.
Why is it that enlisted go to jail but Officers get a slap on the wrist?
Probably because the enlisted folks get James Branum.
If Watada had Branum he might have gotten the chair.
Good point.
He’s a complete waste of tissue.
He joins after the war, stating a desire to serve his country. After days of research on the cultural diversity and history of Iraq he decides that Bush’s war is illegal, yet refuses to classify himself as a conscientious objector because he doesn’t disagree with the concept of war as a whole, yet plays mouthpiece for VfP?!
Oh, just stick his happy ass in front of a firing squad and do is all a favor. We’re running out of trees and need fewer oxygen thieves.
Actually it is better that he stays at home rather than serves somewhere where people would depend on him for their safety and lives. Murphy’s Law demands that he would serve a full tour without a scratch from combat.
Of course he deserves a blindfold and a cigarette, but the best thing to do for the publicity whore is to ignore him and make him go away as quickly as possible. And make sure to get all of his uniforms so he doesn’t dishonor them in public (because you know he will).
Good riddance!
*** Army lieutenant and son of a Vietnam-era draft dodger ***
That nut didn’t fall far from the tree, did it!!! When are we going to stop cow-towing to these cowardly pussy’s (*** further comment censored by poster … ***)
As the father of a son who just deployed to Iraq from Ft Lewis, I am most happy to see that my SGT son doesn’t have to report to that SOB. Good riddance. The U.S. Army is better because of his dismissal.
Dutch,
God bless your son!!! Thanks for his service!!!
sporkmaster, i had the same thought after i read this.
if i had done this, my ass would be in jail. i usually don’t play the “enlisted” card, but seriously, it’s pretty obvious that it played a part. the O’s seem, more often than not, to get the benefit of the doubt, the nod and pass, and the good ‘ol boy network type of shit. it runs rampant among the “pointers” and some of the annapolis guys. don’t even get me started about pilots.
plus as a yellow-american, he pisses me off. way to represent us slant eyes you big giant bag of douche.
(i guess today was Stereotype Day for me.)
ROS, Navy Vet, and Toothless Dawg – So because he’s not blindly subservient to the government, you think he’s a piece of shit? You guys would have fit in perfectly in Berlin in 1939. Now, please explain how the war in Iraq is legal.
I dont care that he didnt go and men had to rely on him, that was a given, he wouldnt have been OIC of a Police call. I do care that We fucked up the Prosecution of this scumbag and he walks and it will be used as Propaganda for the soap dodgers. He should have been heavily hammered legally- “Pour encouragement les autres”.
Goin’ Nazi a little early, Jesse? Of course, we’d like to hear how you think it’s illegal. That would make for a longer discussion between your …ums and …ers. Please keep the facts away from the usual vacuous stuff that Queen Ditz Marjorie Cohn uses. We need a challenge.
The thing is; Watada joined after the Iraq war started, and was sitting around waiting for the Army to order him to Iraq so he could be a star for the Left. And his father the draft dodger is like a big clue.
No…but, see….it’s like totally…um…immoral and stuff, and kids and puppies and illegal. Thanks you.
—Jesse, Ms South Carolina.
Jesse…
Watada is a scum-sucking, bottom-dwelling, piece of shit coward who used your tax money to make a political statement. At the very least, he lied when he took his oath, because it’s obvious to the most casual of observers that he NEVER intended to keep his part of the contract. If nothing else, he ought to be prosecuted for fraud.
As to that dribble of leftist propaganda pus you are spewing, save it for the kids you hang with. It isn’t up to us to “prove” anything to you. Not that you would ever allow facts to get in the way of your personal meme.
I do agree that it is likely because he’s an officer that he got off. There are lots of enlisted not defended by Branum that get jail time. There is serious disparity in how officer war resisters are being treated and how enlisted ones are.
That said, how can it be resignation in lieu of court martial when the courts said they couldn’t court martial him again because of double jeapordy?
Jesse it is bull. A re-post from another site
Look, I do not care about his views in Iraq. He can say that Iraq is the biggest mistake ever made, but again your job is to make sure that your people come home. The question of Iraq being right or wrong be damned. If Iraq is a mistake make sure that your soldiers come home alive so they can live past it. He may have all the justification in the world, but at what price? If something happened where soldiers died, what is to say that he could have prevented it? To quote a Megadeth song “ Sweet taste of vindication, it turns to ashes in your mouth” There was something that was said in medic school that I believe without a doubt. “You are more important then me”. That as a medic I am charged with getting you home alive even if it means I do not. I would hope that our leaders as officers would think to put their needs aside. Because when you make a stand like this, it is not the politicians, but the soldiers that feel the effect. That is why people are angry with him.
Also if you want to bring in Nazi Germany then read this.
Soldiers found guilty of treason by Nazi Germany’s military courts have not yet been rehabilitated, even though their “crimes” were often defending Jews or criticizing Hitler. Germany’s parliament is considering overturning the verdicts, but a proposed bill is being hampered by party politics.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,604076,00.html
The same place that Andre Shepard is seeking refuge from.
how did this assmaggot get permission to not deploy? wow, my husband did not have a choice….then again, my husband was a real soldier and would NOT have wanted to stay behind. he served 2 tours and if Afghanistan had not broken his back, he’d have gone for a third deployment.
this guy’s a prick. glad he no longer has authority….
Good riddance to the POS. ‘Nuff said.
Last I checked, both houses of Congress voted in favor of giving the President the authority to use force against Iraq. Now how is that illegal?
BTW: Watada is a dipshit and a coward. If he deployed to Iraq as he was supposed to and then came out against the war, then that would be one thing. But he wussed out. End of story.
Two points – Watada signed the blank check we must sign to join the military. Surprisingly enough, that blank check also includes service during time of war (geeeeee, go figger).
Second, nobody gives a flying fuck if IVAW approves or not.
Toothless Dawg _ I knew you wouldn’t answer my question. And I’m not speaking on behalf of IVAW – I’m speaking on behalf of myself. And I don’t approve.
Sporkmaster – Thank you for addressing what I said and giving me the other side.
All those who want to comment about my excessive use of “ums” and errs,” I’m assuming from Winter Soldier, I went though a period where I was a little uncomfortable around crowds and unfamiliar places.
Jonn – I plan on posting on this thread why I think the war is illegal. I just don’t have time right now because it’s Saturday night and it’s time to hit the town. The way i see it, I need to get out there, make some moves, and get tagged in a few Facebook pictures – I mean, you guys don’t want Kokesh to be the only IVAW douchebag with a hot girl on his side, right?
Jonn – I plan on posting on this thread why I think the war is illegal.
Yeah, please excuse me for not holding my breath while I wait.
Good riddance; he made his point, now screw
Ehren,
You worthless douchenozzle. I too was commissioned AFTER OIF began. But I didn’t try to avoid deploying in support of an illegal war that wasn’t sanctioned by the UN. Nope, I got orders and so I packed my trash, got on the plane, did my 12 months in country and came home. Now I’m packing up to head out again. But this time I’m going to Iraq. The first one? It was Kosovo. And neither the UN nor Congress authorized out actions, we’re still there 10 years later with no exit strategy. So why the fuck aren’t you out in the streets screaming about that? Because you’re a chicken shit coward who’s only concern is saving his own worthless fucking hide. Do the Army, the country and the world in general a huge favor and suck start a Mossberg.
Sincerly
A LT who knows the meaning of Duty, Honor, Country.
You answer this guys complaints yet Jesse?
OK TSO you win…… this is the first and last time I’m going to post anything like this:
My grandfather on my mother’s side fought in WWII. His son, my uncle fought in Vietnam. They are both against the war in Iraq.
My grandfather, Ray, fought in WWI. He passed away in 1979. His son Samuel fought in WWII, his son John in Korea, and his son Joel, my father, spent 6 years after MIT developing nuclear weapons for the U.S. government. You can call him a draft dodger if you want.
Ray’s father wasn’t a true Army man, but he spent time as a scout for the U.S. Army, however, there were no wars to be fought then. His father fought a different evil – the evil that lived amongst us. His father fought in 1812. And his father fought in what we call the Revolution.
You guys have no problem bringing in Watada’s family into the mix…. Why not bring mine? Shit, my Dad “dodged” the draft of his day. Damn, and I forgot that Joel’s other son, my brother served in the 80s – same timeframe you did, chief (TSO and Lilyea).
And one last thing TSO: keep talking shit dude – suck hard enough and eventually that roman numeral five will come off my ARCOM.
Jesse
I will add that I can testify that Jesse seems to be continually around very attractive women. I’m also constantly hit up by attractive civilian women who ask me about Jesse and if he’s single. Jesse is a fucking rockstar, and the funny thing is, he’s not nearly the hippie you guys seem to want to paint him as.
Hey dickhead, I just posted the video, I didn’t make it.
Also, I didn’t serve in the 80’s, I was still in HS. I had no idea about your family history, good for you, something to be proud of, but how that explains why the war is illegal is a logical step I don’t quite gather.
So was it just my referring to you as Ms South Carolina that was my talking shit? Sorry, didn’t realize you were so sensitive.
Congrats again on the 6 Arcoms, but again I don’t see how that makes a point for you on the illegality of the Iraq war.
Incidentally, I included the video because as near as I could tell, this dude was attacking you from the other side, not mine. I thought it more fairly put you in the middle and not on the fringe. Also, from watching your testimony again (since I also saw it live I believe) it appeared that yours was one of the more lucid, and seemed to indicate a belief that it was the Iraqi army acting like maniacs, which undercuts the point that the Iraqis want us out because of atrocities on our side. I thought you might get a chance to explain, but somehow I set you off, and reading my three comments, one video made by a lunatic, one snarky and one directed at Watada, I can’t for the life of me figure out which one pissed you off so.
Or, and this is no slam, was this a 3am and I ha a couple of suds in me sort of thing? (I’ve been there before, so totally get it if that was the case.)
Jesse…
Let me try and explain for you…
The war is only “illegal” to idiots who don’t understand how their government works. You with me so far? Remember, It was voted on, and voila, there you have it, nothing illegal about it.
Watada signed voluntarily to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. After March 2003. He knew the possibility of being deployed to a combat zone and he still signed his life away for Uncle.
It means, in effect, he DID choose subservience as you put it, to the Commander in Chief, voluntarily, I remind you.
Apparently, your relatives who served forgot to tell you that Uncle owns you 24/7, which is why should one get a severe sunburn, on a comp day, it is perfectly legal for a CO to give you an AR-15 because technically that soldier is out of “uniform”. You getting the picture, yet?
So, if we review, we have a yellow-bellied officer who decided that sacrifice for his Country wasn’t really what it was about…as opposed to saving his own sorry ass from what might come and throws “his” soldiers, the Constitution, and his duty three sheets to the wind!!
And,lest we forget, action in Iraq was legally voted on. Only by opinion is it “illegal” to the buddy fuckers and the likes of IVAW members.
We should consider the troops who would have been under him, lucky. We’ll never know if he would have manned up enough to put his troops first, because he was a wuss of the highest order. The fact that he is allowed to resign is totally bogus. What goes for one troop, should go for all. He should not be allowed any privileges of having worn rank int he service because he evaded his duties as a member of the US Army. Period.
Jonn,
The punk is recovering from his Saturday night shenanigans of ‘hittin the town’, dude…
You know, cause he’s JUST.SO.POp.U.Lar.
OMG!!(insert Valley Girl lilts).
What DefendUSA said. . . .
Hey Jesse, my congratulations and thanks to your list of grandparents and relatives who served. And that includes your father,may not have worn the uniform, but still served in other capacity. As I’ve stated before, I have no problem with those people who avoided, or missed the privilege to serve within the laws existing at the time. My beef is with those who tried to bend or cheat on the rules. And with those who volunteered, and then tried to back out. That sucks scrotum. If Doofus McDuff thinks a war is illegal, he can stay home by simply doing nothing, by not enlisting. Thanks to people who have served, he’s got that right and I’m cool with it, even if I think he’s wrong – and that’s my right. At least until the Non-voluntary Voluntary Civilian National Security Posse finishes organizing. Will you still favor the right to resist mandatory national service ™?
Speaking of resisting and not participating. I have been conscripted into another war – one of which I disapprove. And that is the illegal War On Poverty, which has been going on for 44 years, with tremendous losses, no victories, and no end in sight. Shouldn’t I be allowed an exemption fom the War On Poverty?
TSO: If Jesse is anything like me, he has learned that watching videos posted on your site involves a lot of stabbing the eyes out and didn’t look. 🙂
Well, yay for you, Jesse, that so many in your family wore a uniform, of whom 2 believe the war in Iraq is illegal. It must be true. By that reasoning, all Vietnam vets are baby-killing maniacs because John Kerry wore a uniform and he approved this message.
Yay.
Watada is a shitbag of monumental proportions because he signed the dotted line knowing that he was doing so during a time of war, a war that had been voted on by Congress, and would more than likely be called upon.
He reneged.
While shirking one’s duty and breaking a promise may be acceptable in your world, it’s generally frowned upon by those whose moral compass points anywhere in the northern hemisphere.
So, while those who share your DNA and have served (I’m assuming) honorably should be appreciated for their sacrifices, they do not prove your “illegal war” theory by proxy through their opinions alone.
Epic fail.