The deserters: Awol crisis hits the US forces

[RamboLiberal]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=638635

Sergeant Kevin Benderman cannot shake the images from his head. There are bombed villages and desperate people. There are dogs eating corpses thrown into a mass grave. And most unremitting of all, there is the image of a young Iraqi girl, no more than eight or nine, one arm severely burnt and blistered, and the sound of her screams.

Last January, these memories became too much for this veteran of the war in Iraq. Informed his unit was about to return, he told his commanders he wanted out and applied to be considered a conscientious objector. The Army refused and charged him with desertion. Last week, his case - which carries a penalty of up to seven years' imprisonment - started before a military judge at Fort Stewart in Georgia.

"If I am sincere in what I say and there's consequences because of my actions, I am prepared to stand up and take it," Sgt Benderman said. "If I have to go to prison because I don't want to kill anybody, so be it."

The case of Sgt Benderman and those of others like him has focused attention on the thousands of US troops who have gone Awol (Absent Without Leave) since the start of President George Bush's so-called war on terror. The most recent Pentagon figures suggest there are 5,133 troops missing from duty. Of these 2,376 are sought by the Army, 1,410 by the Navy, 1,297 by the Marines and 50 by the Air Force. Some have been missing for decades.

But campaigners say the true figure could be far higher.

[NNN0LHI]

1. "dogs eating corpses thrown into a mass grave" Hmm n/t

[Dhalgren]

8. Yeah. I thought "Hmmm..." as well.

The "mass grave" he's referring to must be one dug and filled by US forces. So the next time someone over-reacts to the suggestion that the US is responsible for some of these graves, I'm going to trot out this horror story for them.

Anyone, Democrat, Republican, or Independent who favors staying one more day in Iraq - for any reason - must take responsibility for these murders and mutilations. It is sickening, that's all, just sickening...

[Double T]

2. The Recruiting Numbers Will Continue To Fall..........

......and there is no wonder why. This is an illegitimate war in Iraq, being fought for illegitimate reasons.

[drduffy]

3. and by

an illegitimate pResident

[demosincebirth]

4. "AWOL Crisis?" Bush wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole

[lakeguy]

5. draft? nt

[Decay]

6. Nah...

Ground operations will switch from infantry/armor to ones based on small teams (special ops?) backed with limited armor, artillery and air support. Expect a lot more collateral damage though.

[billyoc]

7. Too busy crushing populism in Africa and South America

to be diverted to Iraq ATM. :eyes:

[truthisfreedom]

9. *shrug!* should bushco be surprised? bush set the example, they're just

following it.

[realcountrymusic]

10. They are just emulating the Commander in Chief

AWOL is as AWOL does.

RCM

[ckramer]

11. They are following the leader for a good reason!

Go AWOL!

[Moderator]

12. kick to combine

[Zorra]

13. The deserters: Awol crisis hits the US forces

16 May 2005

As the death toll of troops mounts in Iraq and Afghanistan, America's military recruiting figures have plummeted to an all-time low. Thousands of US servicemen and women are now refusing to serve their country. Andrew Buncombe reports

The case of Sgt Benderman and those of others like him has focused attention on the thousands of US troops who have gone Awol (Absent Without Leave) since the start of President George Bush's so-called war on terror. The most recent Pentagon figures suggest there are 5,133 troops missing from duty. Of these 2,376 are sought by the Army, 1,410 by the Navy, 1,297 by the Marines and 50 by the Air Force. Some have been missing for decades.

But campaigners say the true figure could be far higher. Staff who run a volunteer hotline to help desperate soldiers and recruits who want to get out, say the number of calls has increased by 50 per cent since 9/11. Last year alone, the GI Rights Hotline took more than 30,000 calls. At present, the hotline gets 3,000 calls a month and the volunteers say that by the time a soldier or recruit dials the help-line they have almost always made up their mind to get out by one means or another.

"People are calling us because there is a real problem," said Robert Dove, a Quaker who works in the Boston office of the American Friends Service Committee, one of several volunteer groups that have operated the hotline since 1995. "We do not profess to be lawyers or therapists but we do provide both types of support."

The people calling the hotline range from veterans such as Sgt Benderman to recruits such as Jeremiah Adler, an idealistic 18-year-old from Portland, Oregon, who joined the Army believing he could help change its culture. Within days of arriving for his basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he realised he had made a mistake and said the Army simply wanted to turn him into a "ruthless, cold-blooded killer".

http://news.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=638635&host=3&dir=70

[Cha]

14. How can they punish any AWOLers

when "mr cuckoobananas" is the head AWOLer in DC, NOW?!!

[sasquatch]

15. That's Commander Cuckoo Bananas

Get it right:D

[Cha]

17. I call him shitforbrains

..for short! :P

[AndyTiedye]

16. No Troops, No War