As briefly reported here, First Lt. Ehren Watada, who challenged the Bush administration's reasons for going to war in Iraq and then refused to deploy to that country, will face a military trial, the Army said Thursday.
The Fort Lewis commander, Lt. Gen. James Dubik, recommended a general court-martial of Watada. No date has been set for the trial.
Watada was charged with missing troop movement, conduct unbecoming an officer and contempt toward officials for comments he made about President Bush.
If convicted on all charges, Watada could serve six years of confinement and be dismissed from the service.
The 28-year-old officer from Honolulu has said he believes the war is illegal and was first charged after he refused to deploy to Iraq on June 22 with his Fort Lewis Stryker unit.
As I've posted on this individual before, what he believes, and what are facts are two different things, in that the war in Iraq is, in fact, legal, according to all of the UN Resolutions passed at the end of the Gulf War and later, regarding the activities of the regime of Saddam, who chose to violate each and every one of them in the mistaken belief that they wouldn't be enforced.
In making the statements that he did, Lt. Watada was also mistaken in the belief that the military regulations prohibiting such statements would not be enforced, and now he will face a general court martial to face the charges levied against him.
You took an oath, Watada, when you raised your right hand, an oath that you broke, disregarding the potential consequences of doing so, bringing the whirlwind upon yourself.
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