1LT Wataba Court Martial mistrial

1LT Watada is receiving his Court Martial. You may have read about this Officer that had issue with serving in Iraq with his unit. 1st Lt. Ehren Watada was scheduled to make his first deployment to Iraq this month. His refusal to accompany the Stryker brigade troops puts him at risk of court martial and years of prison time.

I wondered if there were any parallels or related flip flops of alliegance in History. Well not exactly the same in every respect, but having similarities in betraying the trust of fellow soldiers is the Story of one Benedict Arnold.

Benedict Arnold was a hero for the American cause in the revolutionary war until he was disillusioned with the American Government. Seemed he felt disenfranchised with our Continental Congress and decided to help the other side. The difference for Benedict was the personal gain sought by his actions whereas 1LT Watada is merely seeking to avoid following orders he swore to uphold. 1LT Watada left his unit to deploy without him for personal beliefs – he was willing to pick his fight (Afghanistan) on his terms and maintains that he is not afraid to carry arms. When I read the following summation of Benedict Arnold’s actions, I am struck by the similarities.

Checking the Internet I found this passage describing the cause of Benedict Arnold's change of alliegance -
In the end, Benedict Arnold's "moral failure lay not in his disenchantment with the American cause" for many other officers returned to civilian life disgusted with the decline in republican virtue and angry over their failure to win a guaranteed pension from Congress. Nor did his infamy stem from his transfer of allegiance to the British side, for other Patriots chose to become Loyalists, sometimes out of principle but just as often for personal gain. Arnold's perfidy lay in the abuse of his position of authority and trust: he would betray West Point and its garrison "and if necessary the entire American war effort" to secure his own success. His treason was not that of a principled man but that of a selfish one, and he never lived that down. Hated in America as a consort of "Beelzebub ... the Devil," Arnold was treated with coldness and even contempt in Britain. He died as he lived, a man without a country.

REPRINTED FROM James A. Henretta, Elliot Brownlee, David Brody, Susan Ware, and Marilynn Johnson, America's History, Third Edition, Worth Publishers Inc., 1997 Copyright: Worth Publishers Inc.

1LT Wataba’s objections to serving the terms of his contract with his country are based upon his personal objections. He feels that his observation of principles allows him to exit the force that he volunteered to join in 2003 – a force at war with Iraq at the time. He trained soldiers going to Iraq – that was ok. He prepared unit equipment for Iraq – that was ok. When he was assigned to go himself – his treason began – he has reported being treated with coldness and contempt by his peers and soldiers. Little wonder he is not embraced by today’s patriots that serve in Iraq.

Soldier who said no to war

The Washington Post published an article titles "A Mother Fights For A Soldier Who Said No To War" written by By Linton Weeks, Washington Post Staff Writer


It describes the actions of a mother of Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to Iraq. Seems 1LT Watada will be court-martialed on Feb. 5 at Fort Lewis. Lt Watada's mother is lobbying congress for the LT in some hope of getting the LT off the charges of missing movement with his unit to Iraq.

As the article explains, her actions are based on the fact that her son "based his decision on facts ... He studied the war in Iraq and decided it was illegal. "

As a result Lt Watada's mom is asking Congress to intercede and make the Army dismiss all charges.

Well - I understand the mother's desire to keep her son from serving prison time or having a bad mark on his record... but does she believe all soldiers should vote on what conflicts they feel compelled to serve in? LT Watada was a volunteer soldier, serving with other soldiers in the unit... does he think that they are now war criminals? LT Watada is quitting based opon opinion that the war is illegal... based upon what expert knowledge (legal opinion, international judgement, etc?)

LT Watada is ill suited to serve in the same Army I proudly served. When he made the decision to void his sworn contract to the Nation, he dishonored the unit he served, he certainly did not display the traits of a Military Commissioned Officer, and he should be prepared to accept the consequences. He has abandoned the soldiers that trained with him, rely upon his leadership. Presumably, some other American had to step in to take his place with short notice.

I can't label 1LT Wataba a Coward, for what he did took a lot of guts. But he violated the confidence of his unit, his soldiers, his country - all sworn in oath of office when he joined. I don't feel sorry for him at all... he should at least spend as much time behind bars as his soldiers will spend carrying his share of deployment burden as well as their own in theater.

As a retired soldier previously