Court-martial says U.S. medic guilty of desertion

[maddezmom]

Court-martial says U.S. medic guilty of desertion
06 Mar 2007 13:56:22 GMT
Source: Reuters

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WUERZBURG, Germany, March 6 (Reuters) - A court-martial on Tuesday found a U.S. Army medic who refused to return to Iraq with his unit guilty of desertion.

Mexican-born combat medic Agustin Aguayo, 35, had pleaded guilty to going absent without leave and missing his deployment but denied charges of full desertion. Colonel Peter Masterton, the military judge at the court-martial in southern Germany, said the court had found Aguayo guilty as charged.

http://mobile.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L06488034.htm

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I think this is outrageous!

[Eugene]

2. Reuters: U.S. Army medic gets 8 months in jail for deserting

U.S. Army medic gets 8 months in jail for deserting
06 Mar 2007 17:14:27 GMT
Source: Reuters

WUERZBURG, Germany, March 6 (Reuters) - A U.S. Army medic who refused to
return to Iraq with his unit was sentenced on Tuesday to eight months in jail for
desertion.

A U.S. military court also ruled that Mexican-born combat medic Agustin Aguayo,
who has already spent 161 days behind bars, should forfeit paid allowances and
be given a bad conduct discharge. His rank would also be reduced to the lowest
grade.

Aguayo, 35, had pleaded guilty to going absent without leave and missing his
deployment but denied charges of full desertion.

(Reporting by Catherine Hornby, via Berlin Newsroom, )

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L06514780.htm

[gratuitous]

3. This is what it will take, on a very large scale

I wonder if the military has decided to quit holding these courts martial on American soil?

[TX-RAT]

4. It was on a military installation.

Why would they bring him to the US? What would it change?

[gratuitous]

5. They tried Lt. Watada at Fort Lewis, Washington

And I don't think it set very well with the higher-ups to have daily demonstrations outside the base (including an appearance by Sean Penn) in support of Watada. It's a lot easier to try someone in a remote base, far away from any annoying civilians, methinks.

[TX-RAT]

6. Where was Watada stationed.

They usually try them where their stationed.

[gratuitous]

8. Not sure, probably Fort Lewis

It would be good to know that the military is continuing to follow its usual procedures, but with the administration currently in place and its contagion of corruption, it's always advisable to check on, well, everything.

[EFerrari]

7. Well, he has a good chance of surviving jail. n/t