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

[Redleg]

Again, this is neglecting that he was induced to making a choice based on fraudulent information, therefore he cannot be reasonably "held" to a choice like that.

Navaros you need to look at what is required to become a commissioned officer in the United States Army. Then look at when the individual accepted his commission into the Army. From his own reported statement.

Sure. I think that in March of 2003 when I joined up, I, like many Americans, believed the administration when they said the threat from Iraq was imminent — that there were weapons of mass destruction all throughout Iraq; that there were stockpiles of it; and because of Saddam Hussein's ties to al-Qaeda and the 9/11 terrorist acts, the threat was imminent and we needed to invade that country immediately in order to neutralize that threat.

Okay that was March 2003. He has had amble opporunity to resign his commission if he believed he was lied to by the government as part of his acceptance of a commission into the United States Army. However he chose to maintain his commission. Futhermore in his own words he did not actual research any of the relative information until he was tasked to deploy to Iraq. So in June 2005 he begins to inform himself and decides that it was an illegal war. A little late on that task to claim foul on his acceptance of a commission. So your going to have to stick with what his arguement is.

He will have to attempt a defense based upon an illegal war. This is where he will run into difficultity in the Courts Martial - the Courts Martial will only review his actions based upon the UCMJ which he will find himself in a bit trouble at the level of Courts Martial he will be initially facing. He is going to have to wait until after his conviction in the Courts Martial and the subsequent appeal process through the Military Court system into the Federal Court of Appeals after all Military appeals are through. The link to SPC New's Court Martial will provide a samble of how long that process will take.

And futhermore a certain Colonel did resign her commission in protest, before the Invasion was conducted. Which negates your particuler tack here.

[Brenus]

Tennyson put it best in "Charge of the Light Brigade"
'Their's not to reason why, theirs but to do and die.' That is 19th Century. When people believe their government knew what it was doing. After Crimea, WW1, WW2, Vietnam, Bosnia, Croatia etc showed that sometimes to obey orders is not good enough as reasons to slaughter and massacre.
In Vietnam, a French general said something similar, if not as much talented tha Tennyson lines: "Legionnaires, you are here to die. I sent you where you will die"
Now, in this case, yes, he could have resigned… We had same kind of case in France during the 1st Gulf War. Helicopters’ pilot who refused to be deployed saying they didn’t join the army “for that”, meaning going to war. They wanted to get the training, the money but not to do the job…
Well, they were not shot dead, even if the war was legal, voted by the French Parliament. They just had to find another job, and are barred to any official job.

[Haudegen]

This may be related to the issue:

Link

It´s about a German officer who refused to work on the development of computer software which was meant to somehow support the coalition forces in Iraq.

[Fisherking]

To me it sounds like only one thing! There is a woman involved!

He is illogically trying to impress someone, knowing full well that he is going to get smashed. He is not going to make himself a political career by doing this so he must be thinking with something other than his brain.

So, the question is; who is she?