Navy Files Charges Against Sailor Who Refused to Board Ship

A Navy sailor who refused to board a Persian Gulf-bound ship because of his opposition to the war in the Iraq will face a special court-martial - the military equivalent of a civilian misdemeanor trial, the Navy announced Friday. The Navy said it has referred criminal charges of absence without leave and missing the movement of a ship against Petty Officer 3rd Class Pablo Paredes, 23.

He faces a maximum of one year in jail, forfeiture of pay, reduction in rank and a bad-conduct discharge if he's convicted. No date for a court-martial has been set. Paredes remains assigned to a transient personnel unit at Naval Base San Diego, said Navy spokeswoman Capt. Jacquie Yost. He is required to show up for work every day but is free to leave the base at the end of the day.

Jeremy Warren, a civilian attorney who is representing Paredes, said his client is looking forward to defending himself and moving on with his life. "He wasn't naive, and he didn't expect the Navy would turn a blind eye to it, but he is glad that they're not seeking a general court-martial" - a proceeding reserved for the most serious offenses, Warren said.

Paredes, of New York City, has applied for contentious objector status, and a decision is expected next week, Warren said. A Navy chaplain who met with Paredes in January wrote it was "morally imperative" his request be granted, Warren said. Paredes, a weapons-control technician who joined the Navy in 2000, refused to board the USS Bonhomme Richard on Dec. 6 as it left for a six-month tour in the Pacific and Indian oceans. He has said he was young and naive when he joined the Navy and that he "never imagined in a million years we would go to war with somebody who had done nothing to us."

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBDYHE8R6E.html

n/t

This record is going to follow him around for a long time.

Also, nobody put a gun to his head to sign up. He took advantage of the opportunities Navy gave him. He should finish his tour and get out.

I have a brother in the navy and he tells me a tour on a ship is just about as safe as you are going to get over in Iraq. He spent 9 months over there so he talks from experience.

BTW, my brother is totally opposed to the war, but thinks his personal integrity is more valuable. He made a commitment and is going to finish it.

He has said he was young and naive when he joined the Navy and that he "never imagined in a million years we would go to war with somebody who had done nothing to us." If you read carefully you will see that quote. No one held a gun to his head this I agree but sometimes a man makes a mistake and starts seeing more clearly in time. The recruiters make it look and sound so wonderful when you enlist and promise you things that sometimes are not true.
I was in the Navy during Viet Nam and I went AWOL twice because of the same reason. I was tossed in jail, forfeiture of pay, reduction in rank and received a General discharge. My DD214 reads like this: Non-potential petty officer with limited education. That is what the Navy gave me on my record but I have never had a problem when asked for it because I also show them the three schools I went to and the Honor Man certificate I received in one of the schools. After all these years the Navy can still kiss my ass.

Iraq isn't Nam.
Quite frankly, I can certainly understand your position. I assume you were drafted and had no choice in the matter as compared to this young guy who volunteered. I was about two years away from being drafted into Nam and the thought of cutting and running did cross my mind. Fortunately, Nam was winding down when I was eligible to be drafted, so I never had to make that decision.

This soldiers life is probably a lot more in danger running around L.A. at night in the wrong neighborhood than aboard ship or stationed anywhere, but the green zone. For the most part the majority of the country is relatively safe except for certain zones.

Obviously, you did something with your life, hopefully he does the same.

Civvies with this attitude piss me off to no end. They just don't have a clue how it is when your government asks you to do something that is totally fucked up and wrong.

support what this guy did. It's not a matter of safety. It's a matter of what he could be called upon to do. The recruiters who fill the young ones up with lies and bullshit never mentions that part and hardly anyone realizes exactly what they might be called upon to do.

Right now my son is in the Navy. He is submariner(U) and when he got to sub school from boot camp and they started evaluating him and he started really thinking it over, he told them straightup that there was no way he could shoot a nuke on orders from anyone. I fully support him in that.

Don't talk about integrity unless you have been there. And if you have been there and question someone's integrity who decided that they couldn't do it, then I suggest that you probably weren't there at all.

Have a place in this world to remind us that everyone gets hurt in a fight and that war isn't the answer.

a few thousand more like him.

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only in the USA

It should bother people that as disgusting as this is

I, and I'm sure others around the world

are not surprised at US behavior anymore

The "killer" get's 45 days, and a 12,000 fine (on payments mind you)

and the person that REFUSES to kill -

can get a greater punishment?

whatever happened to that "Thou shalt not kill" thingie - ??

Did Georgies' Gawd redact the ten commandments too?

(sigh)