Soldier found himself fighting Army

[Harry Monroe]

Soldier found himself fighting Army
Michael Butler faced court-martial for refusing to go on "suicide mission"

Jimmie E. Gates • [e-mail] • March 21, 2008

Then-Sgt. Michael Butler of Jackson took a stand in October 2004 - against a military order.

Butler and 22 other members of an Army Reserve unit refused to go on a fuel transport mission in Iraq carrying nine 5,000-gallon tanks of fuel in vehicles with only cloth tops. Their actions set off an international stir about the equipment U.S. military personnel had to use.

Butler was jailed and faced a court-martial after the incident. He eventually was reassigned and served in five different units before returning to Jackson.

"They gave us no choice," Butler said last week, explaining the action the soldiers on took Oct. 13, 2004, in his first interview about the experience.

"As a military man, I would never just not obey an order," he said. But, "It would have been a suicide mission."

Butler's story was first told in The Clarion-Ledger, after his wife contacted the newspaper. Since his return, he says he has been denied medical benefits and wishes he had never seen Iraq.

Butler said last week that the convoy didn't have air and ground support and their superiors didn't want to listen to their concerns.

(More)

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080321/SPECIAL23/803210349&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Why am i not surprised that his med benefits are being withheld? I hope someone can help him