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"When I learned the awful truth that we had been deceived — I was shocked and disgusted," Lieutenant Watada wrote to his commander. |
CAIRO — An "insatiable appetite for knowledge" and reading about the US-led invasion-turned-occupation of Iraq and the infamous Abu Ghraib sex abuse scandal has led an "exemplary" young American officer to refuse service in Iraq, becoming the first Army officer to be court-martialed for so doing.
"I was still willing to go until I started reading," Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada told the New York Times.
He began his self-tutorial about the Iraq war with James Bamford's book “ A Pretext for War,” which argues that the war decision was the work of a small group of neoconservative civilians in the Pentagon and their allies in policy think-tanks.
Bamford insists that intelligence was twisted to justify the war, with the goal of fundamentally changing the Middle East to the benefit of Israel.
In a memo in July 2002, the British chief of intelligence told Prime Minister Tony Blair that the Bush administration saw the Iraq war as "inevitable" and that "the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."
A congressional report later concluded the administration was "dead wrong" on claiming that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction and that the administration made the case for invading Iraq despite intelligence doubts.
Soul-Searching
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| Antiwar groups have embraced Watada’s cause, circulating a petition on his behalf. |
Lieutenant Watada, one of a handful of Army officers who have refused to serve in Iraq, said he arrived at his decision after much soul-searching and research.
He read about Abu Ghraib prison scandal, which broke with the release of photos of Iraqi detainees being mistreated and sexually abused by US jail guards at the notorious prison outside Baghdad.
He even talked to soldiers returning from Iraq, including a staff sergeant who told him that he and his men had probably committed war crimes.
"When I learned the awful truth that we had been deceived — I was shocked and disgusted," he wrote in a passionate two-page letter to resign his commission.
"Simply put, I am wholeheartedly opposed to the continued war in Iraq, the deception used to wage this war, and the lawlessness that has pervaded every aspect of our civilian leadership."
Anti-Iraq war France has recently become a favorite destination to US Iraq war "refuseniks."
A wide-ranging poll of US troops in Iraq conducted by Le Moyne College and Zogby International found in March that the vast majority of US troops in Iraq wanted to end occupation of the Arab country and return home within a year.
Also in March, a US medical study revealed that US troops returning from Iraq have the highest rate of mental health consultation and psychological problems compared to other troops returning from Afghanistan and other trouble spots.
Unprecedented
Military historians say it is rare in the era of the all-voluntary Army for officers to do what Lieutenant Watada has done, reported New York Times.
"Certainly it's far from unusual in the annals of war for this to happen," said Michael E. O'Hanlon, a senior fellow in military affairs at the Brookings Institution.
"But it is pretty obscure since the draft ended."
Though disagreeing with his war views, two officers who served with Lieutenant Watada in South Korea reaffirmed support for his cause.
"He was a good officer, always very professional," said Capt. Scott Hulin.
"I personally disagree with his opinion and his stance against the war. But I personally support his stand as a man, to be able to do what his heart is telling him."
First Lt. Bernard West, a former roommate of Lieutenant Watada, echoed similar remarks.
When Lieutenant Watada's mother, Carolyn Ho, learned of his decision, she tried to talk him out.
"I just saw his career going down the drain. It took me awhile to get through this," she said.
"I honor and respect his decision."
Lieutenant Watada has been charged with missing movement, for not deploying, contempt toward officials and conduct unbecoming an officer.
If there is a court-martial hearing, the maximum penalty would be a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of pay and seven years in prison.
Watada, who volunteered to serve in the army after the 9/11 attacks "out of a desire to protect our country," has only one wish.
"Please allow me to leave the Army with honor and dignity."
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