Lt. Watada's Court Martial
By pacodecabra
@pacodecabra (160)
United States
January 28, 2007 10:18am CST
The court martial of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada begins on Feb. 5th. Lt. Watada refused to deploy with his unit to Iraq because he thinks the Iraq war is illegal. As a veteran, my view is that when you volunteer for the Army, you understand that you have to go where they send you. If you don't like that, then don't join. It also bothers me that he not only deserted the men he is supposed to lead, he caused another officer to have to go in his place.
What are your thoughts on this?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@Smith2028 (797)
• United States
31 Jan 07
I agree. As an officer, a leader of men, he is bound by his oath to serve and protect. By not going with his men he not only shirked his duties, but he deserted the men who I am sure had trust in him and believed in his ability to lead them.
Our Army is thankfully a volunteer Army. Once you raise your right hand and take that oath, and sign on the dotted line you are bound by your duty. I believe he should be court martialed and put into Leavenworth for a while.
1 person likes this
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
30 Jan 07
He is getting what he deserved. (Except for the publicity, he does not deserve that.) I was in the military and when you enlist you swear to follow the orders of the people above you and that includes the President (Commander-in-Chief). You do not have to agree with them, but you DO have to follow orders unless they are truly illegal. However, our laws DO permit the President to send armed forces to fight in other countries, so what President Bush did was not illegal. It may not have been the smartest thing he ever did, but by our own laws it was legal.
1 person likes this
@pacodecabra (160)
• United States
31 Jan 07
Absolutely. This is where any defense he might have had (slim though it would have been) breaks down. He didn't simply refuse to fight, which he could have done by declaring as a conscientious objector and being sent in with a Medical Platoon, for example. He refused to get on the damn plane. And a deployment order in and of itself cannot be illegal.
@Stiletto (4579)
•
30 Jan 07
Well I'm not American, I was against going into Iraq in the first place, he's right when he says the war is illegal and I think the US (and the UK) has made one heck of a mess there BUT ... I think if you join the armed services you must be prepared to go where they send you and follow the orders you are given even if you disagree with them. People who can't accept that sort of discipline shouldn't join up and, as you say, he volunteered for service.
