posted 03-17-2004 01:02 AM            

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/8190384.htm

Posted on Mon, Mar. 15, 2004
AWOL soldier plans to fight court-martial
By Michael Martinez
Chicago Tribune

NEW YORK - In Iraq last April, freshly promoted Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia led squads of Florida National Guard soldiers in the fight against insurgents in the deadly Sunni triangle.

But Mejia became increasingly pained by his war experiences, and when he went on leave last fall, he decided not to come back. The staff sergeant -- one of about 600 soldiers counted as AWOL by the Army during home leaves from Iraq -- was eventually labeled a deserter.

Now, after five months in hiding, Mejia plans to surrender today in Boston on the eve of the war's first anniversary, and he aims to become the first Iraq war veteran to publicly challenge the morality and conduct of the conflict. Mejia intends to seek conscientious objector status to avoid a court-martial.

Desertion during wartime can be punishable by death, but execution is unlikely, said Mejia's attorney, Louis Font.

Mejia, 28, has been living in various Eastern cities, avoiding air travel, credit cards and cellphones.

He went AWOL on Oct. 16 after he was allowed to return to the United States to renew his permanent resident card, he said. Born in Nicaragua, Mejia arrived in the United States with his mother, now a U.S. citizen.

At most, 600 soldiers in the Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard have gone AWOL or deserted since two-week leaves began for 60,000 troops in Iraq last year, the Army said.

The Army says its desertions have declined in recent years: 2,731 in the 2003 fiscal year ended last Sept. 30; 4,013 desertions in the 2002 fiscal year; 4,598 in 2001.

With several GI advocates and peace activists supporting his surrender, Mejia seeks to become the first test case weighing the moral impact of the Iraq conflict, said Tod Ensign, director of Citizen Soldier, a GI advocacy rights group.

Font even plans to bring up President Bush's military service during the Vietnam War.

"We are asking the military to treat [Mejia] the same way that the military treated President George Bush when he was in the Texas National Guard," he said.

posted 03-17-2004 01:05 AM            

I'm real torn on this issue.

On the one hand..that soldier took an constitutional oath and promised to defend it regardless and I think he should fulfil his military obligation.

I definately see why AWOL is happeing though. Not for the LAME reason privelaged, connected BUSH Junior went AWOL of course.

posted 03-17-2004 01:17 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mech:
I definately see why AWOL is happeing though. Not for the LAME reason privelaged, connected BUSH Junior went AWOL of course.

---

Here is photographic proof that Bush was not AWOL!