Ehren Watada is currently a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Watada was ordered to deploy to Iraq and refused the order. He will be court-martialed next week in a case that will have far-reaching effects:
The mother of Army Lt. Ehren Watada, who refused to deploy to Iraq as a protest
against the war, told about 200 senior citizens in San Francisco's Chinatown at noon Sunday that she needs their support to help her son, who faces a court-martial next week.
"You celebrate the American dream. You live it," Carolyn Ho told the enthusiastic flag-waving crowd at Gordon Lau elementary school. "And that is what my son is fighting for now."
With all do respect Ms. Ho, your son is not fighting for or celebrating the American dream. He is a disgrace to all who wear the uniform and is spitting on the American dream and the principles behind this great nation. Here's a newsflash, Watada did not get drafted, he joined the Army and attended Officer Candidate School after the Iraq invasion and knew full-well that he could be deployed anywhere in the world at the whim of his government. That's how the Army works today and has for over two-hundred years.
Ms. Ho continues:
He refused deployment orders because "we entered the war by deception," Ho said.
"He said, 'It's a matter of conscience. Even if I'm sitting in prison, I know I did not kill innocent men, women and children for a lie.'
His story of studying about the war and reading international law rings hollow with me and many other vets. You can't just refuse to go where sent, that is the way it has to be in any armed force. Regardless of how much backing he has from myriad anti-war groups, he must be court martialed and must serve his term.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment