US soldier refuses deployment to Iraq on grounds that the war is illegal

[Xiahou]

That's a little harsh, I think.

I'm assuming that American officers make the same oaths (roughly) as Canadian ones do, a key point of which is that they will carry out lawful orders of superior officers.

I won't debate whether the war is illegal or not. The only question is, if this officer truly believes that it is illegal, and therefor that his orders to deploy to Iraq and take part in combat operations are also unlawful, then he has a legal (because of his oath) obligation to refuse those orders.

I felt Lemur covered that angle pretty well. Being ordered to deploy is not an illegal order. And as to whether it's an illegal or immoral war- that's not his call to make when it comes to his role as a soldier.

He's going to jail- and rightly so. And after he gets out, he'll have his dishonorable discharge to follow him around wherever he goes.