Army deserter who fled to Canada gets 15 months prison

[Teetop]

Wonder what his DUmmie nickname is?

A Fort Carson deserter who holed up in Canada for nearly three years was sentenced to prison today after a military court hearing that the defense tried to turn into an indictment of the Iraq war.

Pfc. Robin Long, who fled rather than reporting for duty at Fort Carson in 2005 told court-martial judge Col. Debra Boudreau that he left the country because of moral objections to what he termed an "illegal war." The judge came back with a 15-month sentence after prosecutors argued that Long "abandoned his duty, his honor and his country."

Long joined the Army in 2003, after the Iraq invasion, and was assigned to Fort Carson in early 2005, but never arrived at the post. Instead the 24-year-old first hid in his hometown of Boise, Idaho, before heading north to seek refugee status from Canadian authorities in a bid to avoid a possible deployment to Iraq.

The Canadians turned back Long's last appeal in July and sent him back to the United States, where he was taken into custody by the Army on July 15 at the border in Washington state.

:)

He should have gotten 15 years.

[Sonnabend]

Desertion of his post in time of war.

Firing squad.

[Eyelids]

Desertion of his post in time of war.

Firing squad.

Talk about overreaction holy wow.

[Zathras]

Talk about overreaction holy wow.

Talk about violation of the UCMJ that calls for execution for desertion in time of war.

[Zeus]

Talk about violation of the UCMJ that calls for execution for desertion in time of war.

On Jan. 31, 1945, Hamtramck-born Eddie Slovik was executed by firing a squad near the village of Ste-Marie aux Mines for the crime of desertion. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme allied commander, personally ordered the execution during the closing days of World War II in order to deter other potential deserters.

During World War II, 21,049 American military personel were convicted of desertion, 49 were sentenced to death, but only Pvt. Slovik paid the ultimate price. In fact, he was the only American soldier to be executed for desertion since the American Civil War.

...............

[Teetop]

Talk about overreaction holy wow.

Talk about dense...

[Eyelids]

You cant kill somebody for a non-violent crime, this isn't the middle ages.

[Phillygirl]

You cant kill somebody for a non-violent crime, this isn't the middle ages.

Yes you can.

[gator]

Talk about violation of the UCMJ that calls for execution for desertion in time of war.

It is not "in the time of war". War was never declared.

[Eyelids]

It is not "in the time of war". War was never declared.

We are at war with Iraq and Afghanistan... the definition of war does not hinge on what the U.S. thinks it is.