Hero or Criminal????

[IAmAFan]

http://news.kypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061004/NEWS02/610040354/1014/NEWS02

[HHSDad]

Anderson joined the Army in January 2003 to get money for college and to serve his country. I guess he wasn't expecting us to be at war two months later.

 

In my opinion, anytime you desert your unit, you're a criminal.

[ladiesbballcoach]

He is absolutely 100% wrong in this regard.

 

"No Iraq war veteran will ever be remembered as a hero," Anderson said.

 

He may have bought into a certain crowds minority view but for the vast majority of Americans, you serve in the military and you are a hero.

 

And here is the thing, I think too many of our young people see signing up for the military as an easy thing. And they get in and find out it is anything but. He agreed and signed up to do what his Commander-in-Chief asks him to do.

 

And then like the mindset of so many in this country, when the going got rough, he wanted to bail.

 

To me, he is a hero for serving in our military and then tarnished his own image with his actions and not anyone elses.

[All Tell]

Criminal

 

The only reason he came back from Canada is because he applied for political asylum too long after he got there and he couldn't get a job.

 

IMVHO he joined the Army for selfish reasons and he has now returned for selfish reasons.

[SportsGuy41017]

I would call him either. Should a person fight/kill in something they don't believe in? Is this Nazi Germany? No!

 

If he really believes he sinned by fighting/killing in Iraq then so be it. But for someone to say that his "only sin was abandoning his military unit." Is wrong.

 

Another sin, is that we "con" these teenagers and people in their early 20's by waving money in front of the for college to get them to enlist.

[STRIKE3]

War and the aftermath, I would imagine is overwhelming to those of us, who have never been through it.

 

At the same token, when you enlist to serve, you must have known that death and destruction, could befall you or those whom against you are required to engage with.

 

We are all human and sounds like, his compassion part of him is taking hold. It's not for many but if you choose to protect and serve, your emotions can't control when you leave but you must follow military protocol.

 

I won't label him a Hero or Criminal but I would say, if he's AWOL....He's committed a military crime and must be held accountable.

[shooter]

Apparently he was too stupid to realize that joining the military may require him to fight in a war. He was also too stupid to realize that they wouldn't ask him if he approved of the war before they sent him.

[IAmAFan]

I would call him either. Should a person fight/kill in something they don't believe in? Is this Nazi Germany? No!

 

If he really believes he sinned by fighting/killing in Iraq then so be it. But for someone to say that his "only sin was abandoning his military unit." Is wrong.

 

Another sin, is that we "con" these teenagers and people in their early 20's by waving money in front of the for college to get them to enlist.

 

 

We also tell people that they can pick where they want to go. I don't think that he is in the wrong here. He went, served time, was wounded, and felt like what he was doing had been wrong. He had a much better view of the war then we did and the accusations he's thrown out are pretty serious. The numbers in the military are down and continue to drop. Instead of utilizing less troops we recruit harder, send people with limited experience and training, and we hold people past their date to leave. I have a friend who is set to get out next September I believe and he's never been to war. That's kind of messed up that an enlisted man isn't fighting, but the national guard and reserves are. Anyway he said he'll have to serve a year in Iraq starting about 2 weeks before he's supposed to be let out. That way they can keep him in the Army for 7 years instead of 6.

[RNCSportsaholic]

Anderson joined the Army in January 2003 to get money for college and to serve his country. I guess he wasn't expecting us to be at war two months later.

 

In my opinion, anytime you desert your unit, you're a criminal.

 

 

We were already at war, just not with Iraq, yet.

[IAmAFan]

Apparently he was too stupid to realize that joining the military may require him to fight in a war. He was also too stupid to realize that they wouldn't ask him if he approved of the war before they sent him.

 

 

I think killing innocent civilians like he claims is different than fighting a war. He served a year and recieved a Purple Heart. I'm guessing you haven't been shot in battle while you were serving his country, yet he was shot in battle serving yours. I'd call him stupid too.

[All Tell]

I think killing innocent civilians like he claims is different than fighting a war. He served a year and recieved a Purple Heart. I'm guessing you haven't been shot in battle while you were serving his country, yet he was shot in battle serving yours. I'd call him stupid too.

1. There are proper chanels that any soldier can follow if he/she feels that criminal acts are occuring.

 

2. He signed on for a certain period of time and when he signed on he had to have known that going into battle was was not only a possibility it was likely. If that didn't play into his decision making then yes he was and/or is stupid.

 

I will be the first person in line to thank every one of the men and women that are now serving our country in uniform. What this deserter did was impugn every soldier in Iraq with his "No Heroes" statement. IMVHO that makes him worse then a criminal because he is dishonoring those that have enough personal honor to fulfill their committment.

 

How long before this honorless deserter is on the anti-war trail like Cindy Sheehan.

[BigColonel]

Criminal. If you don't want to risk going into a combat theatre more than once, don't enlist in the arm forces. He signed up knowing there was a chance he might have to fight a war, and do it more than once. He chose to run and renig on the duty he signed up to do, so he's a criminal.

[ladiesbballcoach]

At the same time, what sentence should this criminal received. Not sure what he has done is worse than what was done in the Enron scenario.

[All Tell]

At the same time, what sentence should this criminal received. Not sure what he has done is worse than what was done in the Enron scenario.

Court Martial-Make him answer before other members of the military for his actions.

 

Dishonorable discharge-With that on your record you will have some explaining to do every time you apply for a job.

 

Absolute revocation of all GI Bill benefits except for any medical treatment for the injury he sustained.

 

I would have also included in the agreement he made to be less then honorably discharged that if he made any public statements that could be in any way construed as disparaging the honor of those serving and fufilling their committments that the agreement is null and void and Court Martial could result.

[sports fan]

Apparently he was too stupid to realize that joining the military may require him to fight in a war. He was also too stupid to realize that they wouldn't ask him if he approved of the war before they sent him.

So the vote here would be "stupid criminal"?