Author Topic: 1st Lt. Ehren Watada - Hero or Disgrace (Read 2312 times)

Tumor · « **Reply #45 on:** June 08, 2006, 11:14:07 PM »

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Originally posted by Hangtime
Soldiers always question and evaluate (gripe about) their orders. The chow. The weather. Tech Supply. The motorpool and the idiot Lt's duty roster.

Questioning Orders is a Soldiers Heritage.. we can guess what the spartans had to say about the greeks gettin a furlough at thermopylae.

Officers, OTOH.. hmmmmmmm. Nothin will fracture a troops ability to fight faster than a bookworm Lt with a moral crisis relative to combat.

The boy picked the wrong career, and I'm glad he spoke up before he got kids killed... or collected the wrong caliber slug in the back of his head first time outside the wire.

I suspect the Army will let him resign. I doubt they want a hoopla hollywood courts martial.

You got it right Hang... except a courts-martial is all that more important. See... he signed on knowing the consequences too. B.S. like this spreads like wildfire right after the first get-out-of-jail-free card.

Tumor

Hangtime · « **Reply #46 on:** June 08, 2006, 11:48:26 PM »

If the Army is deploying officers that are dubious about their mission....

our troops are ****ed.

Drum 'em out... no media circus; just get 'em out.

Tumor · « **Reply #47 on:** June 08, 2006, 11:55:03 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Hangtime
If the Army is deploying officers that are dubious about their mission....

our troops are ****ed.

Drum 'em out... no media circus; just get 'em out.

Well, that's generally the result after a court-martial (and time in the can). I'm agreeing with you....

Hangtime · « **Reply #48 on:** June 09, 2006, 12:03:45 AM »

Oh.. sorry. minor failure to communicate. yah drum a man out by assigining him to tierra del fuego and putting him in charge of latrines and laundry. he resigns or gets to liking ****ing penguins.

yah don't give him a flashy court martial and a media feeding frenzy.

MrCoffee · « **Reply #49 on:** June 09, 2006, 01:06:39 AM »

Why did he even join the army then?

Russian · « **Reply #50 on:** June 09, 2006, 01:21:32 AM »

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Originally posted by MrCoffee
Why did he even join the army then?

GI-Bill

lasersailor184 · « **Reply #51 on:** June 09, 2006, 07:21:00 AM »

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Originally posted by SFRT - Frenchy
French fusier commando saying : "Thinking is already desobeing".

On a more seriously note, I believe illegal war is not his call. He has to go where is politicians send him. His say is on illegal orders, such has randomly executing a mother and her kid.

You know, through all the stupid people, all the stupid things said, occasionally you'll find on this board something brilliant said.

But I guess that's like a million monkeys on a million typewriters...

Urchin · « **Reply #52 on:** June 09, 2006, 08:02:19 AM »

Doesn't seem like a coward to me personally. If he is ready to basically ruin his life to make some kind of point regarding the legality of the war in Iraq then he has every right to do so.

I thought it had already been determined by the rest of the world that the war in Iraq was illegal anyway? Doesn't matter much to be honest, nobody would give much of a crap about Nazi war criminals if the Germans had won the war, and I imagine that other than for some ineffectual PC 'punishing' of US 'war criminals' (i.e. troops...) nobody will seriously try to put Americans on trial over Iraq.

B@tfinkV · « **Reply #53 on:** June 09, 2006, 08:09:34 AM »

he made a choice and went with it, and got away with not fighting.

i think he should either leave the army honourable discharge, or continue to serve and go fight.

punishment? dont you think his squaddies and most of the rest of the army will give him punihsment enough? well, the ones that make it back from iraq any how.

edit: then again, maybe he needs to be made an example of to limit any troops who support him, or are simply cowards, from attempting the same stunt.

Edbert1 · « **Reply #54 on:** June 09, 2006, 08:18:20 AM »

Normally a Dishonorable discharge would essentially ruin one's life. But this guy will be hired for life by any of a dozen whacko groups out in the fringes. Hell, somebody somewhere is financing Cindy Sheehan was past her 15 minutes.

Thud · « **Reply #55 on:** June 09, 2006, 08:23:45 AM »

He is either a coward trying to evade hs duty and the associated risks or someone who is willing to go through an incredible ****storm to remain true to his principles.

Since noone on this board seems to know him personally and/or have insight into his personality I'm afraid we cannot pinpoint which scenario is true...

Mighty1 · « **Reply #56 on:** June 09, 2006, 08:52:59 AM »

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Originally posted by Thud
He is either a coward trying to evade hs duty and the associated risks or someone who is willing to go through an incredible ****storm to remain true to his principles.

Since noone on this board seems to know him personally and/or have insight into his personality I'm afraid we cannot pinpoint which scenario is true...

Let me explain why I think he is a coward.

He joined the military to get an education (his words not mine) but now he won't hold up his end of the agreement. He is afraid of how he may feel about himself if he goes to a war that he/some people feel isn't legal. (again his words not mine)

He already stated he was not against war he is just against the war he was going to have to participate in.

To me that is being not only a coward but a hypocrite.

Hangtime · « **Reply #57 on:** June 09, 2006, 10:05:30 AM »

GENERAL: "You have by your actions disgraced the uniform you wear. You signed a contract, swore an oath. You will not be permitted to evade your obligations of service to and for the United States Army. You will be assigined to a duty station as far under the largest rock in the most remote location BEUPERS can find, where you will rot untill your duty obligation is fulfilled. Then you will be re-assigned to clean and paint that rock till I see your resignation on my desk.

Dismissed."

scot12b · « **Reply #58 on:** June 09, 2006, 10:36:32 AM »

He needs to get a life I was stop lost for 377 days after my ETS to go back to that watermelon hole to drive around and wait to get hit by a IED so he needs to grow a pair. O by the way a lot of use in 3ID were stoplost to go back I would not doubt he is some POG or RINP Mos and well never leave the FOB. My point is you joined the Army you no the deal so deal with it!:cry

Thud · « **Reply #59 on:** June 09, 2006, 12:43:51 PM »

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Originally posted by Mighty1
Let me explain why I think he is a coward.

He joined the military to get an education (his words not mine) but now he won't hold up his end of the agreement. He is afraid of how he may feel about himself if he goes to a war that he/some people feel isn't legal. (again his words not mine)

He already stated he was not against war he is just against the war he was going to have to participate in.

To me that is being not only a coward but a hypocrite.

You're clear on the matter but we still don't know whether he would have gone to Afghanistan if his orders had sent him there.
Regardless of ones opinion on the matter it is clear that from the angle of justification for war Afghanistan does differ from Iraq.
I think him being deployed to Afghanistan would have represented the lithmus test on his motives, self-preservance or honest objections. Sadly we will never find out what he would've done in that case.