Army to court-martial soldier who refused second Iraq tour

[truthpusher]

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/10992742.htm

Posted on Fri, Feb. 25, 2005

Army to court-martial soldier who refused second Iraq tour

RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

FORT STEWART, Ga. - An Army mechanic who refused to deploy to Iraq for a second tour of duty will be court-martialed on desertion charges, Fort Stewart officials said Friday.

Sgt. Kevin Benderman, 40, missed his unit's deployment flight Jan. 7. Ten days earlier, he gave his commanders notice that he planned to seek a discharge as a conscientious objector, saying he had become opposed to war after serving in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Fort Stewart commanders contend Benderman had an obligation to deploy with his unit, the 3rd Forward Support Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division, as ordered while the Army processed his objector application.

Benderman will be tried by a general court-martial, the most serious form of court-martial, on charges of desertion and missing movement. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison, reduction in rank to private and a dishonorable discharge.

complete story:
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/10992742.htm

[TahitiNut]

1. He lost the sperm lottery 40 years ago.

:shrug: If he were a member of the Bushoilini Cabal, he'd be getting wealthy from the military.

[LynnTheDem]

2. His FIRST obligation is to DEFEND THE US CONSTITUTION FROM ALL

ENEMIES...foreign AND DOMESTIC.

SHOW ME where in the USC it says wars of aggression against nations who had been doing NOTHING against America, NOTHING against any other nation, is ok to do.

[puddycat]

3. anyone have an address? I'd gladly donate to his defense and family

We desperately need to see more courageous people standing up for morality and refusing to partake in an illegal war.

I'm going to try to find an address where I can donate funds to his defense and/or his family. If anyone else finds out anything, please post.

[RamboLiberal]

4. Army mechanic(Sgt 40) faces desertion charge (Refuses 2nd Tour Iraq)

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/10992879.htm

An Army mechanic who refused to deploy to Iraq for a second tour of duty will be court-martialed on desertion charges, officials said Friday.

Sgt. Kevin Benderman, 40, missed his unit's deployment flight Jan. 7 after giving his commanders notice 10 days earlier that he planned to seek a discharge as a conscientious objector. Benderman said he had become opposed to war after serving in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Fort Stewart commanders contend Benderman had an obligation to deploy with his unit, the 3rd Forward Support Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division, while the Army processed his objector application.

Benderman will be tried by a general court-martial, the most serious form of court-martial, on charges of desertion and missing movement. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison, reduction in rank to private and a dishonorable discharge.

[4morewars]

5. When is w's trial ?

He deserted, why isn't the army going after him ? As far as I can tell, he hasn't reported for duty yet.

[FloridaPat]

6. He should get the same punishment Bush got - his own oil company,

insider trading tips, and his own baseball club.

[Horse with no Name]

7. He wrote his side of the story...awesome read

>>>>>snip
I have learned that I have done things that are not to the benefit of mankind and that to continue in that vein would be detrimental to my growth as a human being. And now that I have seen the errors of my ways, wouldn't it be prudent to change the way I conduct myself? Why should I continue what I see as self-destructive behavior? And why should I continue a way of life that does nothing to alleviate some problems that have plagued humanity for far too long? If a drug addict learns that the drugs are killing him, then he is expected to stop using drugs. That leads me to ask the question, "If what I am doing is killing me spiritually, why should I continue?"
>>>snip


http://www.antiwar.com/orig/benderman.php?articleid=4566