US soldier refuses to serve in 'illegal Iraq war'

[Barrett808]

Source: AFP

US soldier refuses to serve in 'illegal Iraq war'
by Karin Zeitvogel

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Matthis Chiroux is the kind of young American US military recruiters love.

"I was from a poor, white family from the south, and I did badly in school," the now 24-year-old told AFP. "I was 'filet mignon' for recruiters. They started phoning me when I was in 10th grade," or around 16 years old, he added.

Chiroux joined the army straight out of high school nearly six years ago, and worked his way up from private to sergeant.

He served in Afghanistan, Germany, Japan, and the Philippines before he was honorably discharged and placed in the reserves.

As a reservist, he was due to be deployed next month in Iraq.

On Thursday, he refused to go.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080516/pl_afp/usiraqmilitaryprotest

[Selatius]

1. He's gonna test the argument in court that the Iraq War does violate the Geneva Conventions.

The four counts brought against most of the Nazis at Nuremberg were as follows:

Count 1: Conspiracy to wage aggressive war.
Count 2: Waging aggressive war.
Count 3: Crimes commissioned during combat or through military operations (war crimes)
Count 4: Crimes commissioned against civilians/civilian infrastructure (crimes against humanity)

By my reckoning, if you got Bush in front of a formal tribunal, there's likely enough evidence to put Bush et al. away on at least three of those four counts. Any one of those counts if proven true would have resulted in one's hanging in the 1940s.

Of course, the UCMJ is not the Nuremberg Tribunal. It is infinitely more deferential to this nation's leadership in terms of whether or not a war is, in fact, illegal. They will try their damndest to avoid answering that question: Whether the order to invade Iraq was illegal.

[cstanleytech]

3. I dont give him good odds do you?

My bet is he will be given a dishonorable discharge because offhand I cant see how he could even prove to unbiased court any of those 4 things you listed or atleast provide enough evidence to cast a reasonable doubt.
I feel sorry for him though, the military should have given him the chance to go to afghanistan.

[Selatius]

8. They're going to railroad him and try to block him from presenting evidence proving his case.

They'll say it has no relevance on him obeying orders and then block it or some courtroom trick to that effect. Then they're going to kneecap him as an example to others not to try.

[Peace Patriot]

2. There is a courage greater than the courage to kill, and it is the courge to refuse to kill

in an unjust war. Kudos and laurels wreaths for Sgt. Chiroux, an awesome patriot of American Revolution II--the revolution to end wars of aggression perpetrated by the U.S. government.

:patriot: :toast: :bounce: :yourock: :headbang: :patriot: :yourock: :bounce: :toast: :patriot:

[defendandprotect]

9. What a beautiful way to express it . . . !!!

I'd heard before . . . "Peace is harder than war" . . .

but never heard this comment on courage and war --

Thank you!

[frog92969]

4. That's what I'm talking about.

Denial of service.

Way to stand up Matthis!:patriot:
I hope alot more follow your lead.

[superconnected]

5. A hero. Very bold to stand up to the military, the bush junta, and half of america.

Very bold indeed.

[bluesmail]

6. K&R Fucking Heroic. I wish him well.

[jeff30997]

7. K&R

Awesome!

[defendandprotect]

10. Read the whole article . . . !!!

I'm having a harder time keeping up with Congressional hearings ---
this seems to be one to see --- !!!

Minutes earlier, Chiroux had cried openly as he listened to former comrades-in-arms testify before members of Congress about the failings of the Iraq war.

The testimonies were the first before Congress by Iraq veterans who have turned against the five-year-old war.

Former army sergeant Kristofer Goldsmith told the landmark haering of "lawless murders, looting and the abuse of countless Iraqis."

He spoke of the psychologically fragile men and women who return from Iraq to find little help or treatment offered from official circles.

Goldsmith said he had "self-medicated" for several months to treat the wounds of the war.

Another soldier told AFP he had to boost his medication to treat anxiety and social agoraphobia -- two of many lingering mental wounds he carries since his deployments in Iraq -- before testifying.

Some 300,000 of the 1.6 million US soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or both, an independent study showed last month.

A group of veterans in the packed hearing room gazed blankly as their comrades' testimonies shattered the official version that the US effort in Iraq is succeeding.

Almost to a man, the testifiers denounced serious flaws in the chain of command in Iraq.

Luis Montalvan, a former army captain, accused high-ranking US officers of numerous failures in Iraq, including turning a blind eye to massive fraud on the part of US contractors.

Ex-Marine Jason Lemieux told how a senior officer had altered a report he had written because it slammed US troops for using excessive force in the face of a feeble attack -- they took four rounds of enemy fire.

Goldsmith accused US officials of censorship.

"Everyone who manages a blog, Facebook or Myspace out of Iraq has to register every video, picture, document of any event they do on mission," Goldsmith told AFP after the hearing.

Officials take "hard facts and slice them into small pieces to make them presentable to the secretary of state or the president -- and all with the intent of furthering the occupation of Iraq," Goldsmith added.

and . . .

Chiroux stood fast in his resolve to refuse to serve in Iraq.

"I cannot deploy to Iraq, carry a weapon and not be part of the problem," he said.

One of thousands of US soldiers who have deserted since the Iraq war began in 2003, the young reservist vowed to stay in the United States to fight "whatever charges the army levels at me."

Many deserters -- defined by the army as someone who has been absent without leave for 30 days -- seek refuge in Canada.

In the hours following his announcement, Chiroux received some 300 emails of support, he told AFP.

"I've been offered places to stay in all 50 states if I want to lie low.

"I've told them, 'That's very nice, but I'm not trying to hide.'

"I want to stand up to the powers that be and send a message that there are still people in this country fighting for peace," Chiroux said, steadfast in his resolve to not report for duty on June 15.

[defendandprotect]

11. Push & Recommend ---

The costs of this for this young man could be very heavy ---

I hope we don't lose track of him and wish there was some way we could help him and anyone
who feels the way he does. Mainly, to protect him from Bushco vengenance ==

[SunDrop23]

12. Like many, I've said it before....send the Bush twins.

Send his kids if this is such a noble cause.
Surely they want to participate in the 'warren terra'

[pacalo]

13. For those who would like to watch the hearing, here's the link:

http://12.170.145.161/search/basic.asp?ResultStart=1&ResultCount=10&BasicQueryText=Iraq+veterans

Click on "Congressional Progressive Caucus Meeting with Iraq War Veterans".