Army Officer And Lawyer Confuse Free Speech With Duty

Watada

Army Lieutenant Ehren Watada took a decision about a month ago not to go back to Iraq. He stated that the war was illegal and that the President lied us into the war (both claims are untrue). This officer and his lawyer have mistakenly assumed that he was allowed to decide his career course while in the military. I guess he has but it is obviously not what he wanted. Watada was charged with missing movement, contempt towards officials, and conduct unbecoming of an officer. He faces hard time if convicted.

Watada says that he expected the missing movement charge and that he was surprised by the other two. He and his lawyer are claiming that the charges amount to a free speech issue. They need to get a lesson real fast. Soldiers do not have the same freedom that civilians have. There are certain rules and regulations that govern behavior and when a soldier violates those rules and regulations he can be charged. In addition, there is no such thing as free speech in any workplace and the Constitution does not govern private speech. The First Amendment says that Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech. Employers are free to decide what employees are allowed to say.

Watada and his lawyer are misguided in this issue. He signed a contract and was fine and happy to get a paycheck. He was ordered to a combat zone and he has a legal obligation to follow that order. While any soldier may disobey an obviously illegal order (like go kill those villagers) no soldier is allowed to decide what war is legal and which one is not. The legality of the war is an issue that is decided by the Congress and the courts system. Since Congress voted to go to war, Watada has a responsibility to follow any order given him (that is a legal order). Being ordered to deploy is a legal order and Watada does not have grounds to disobey it. I remember having soldiers tell me that they only joined for the education money and that if we went to war they would leave the country. Some of those soldiers I helped process for discharge so they could not get education money and I told others, that I could not get discharged, that I would drag them into combat and if they got away I would hunt them down when I got back. We never had any more talk about running away.

Watada tried to resign his commission and that request was denied. That is well within the right of the service and he was obligated to continue his service. I probably would have given him a general or less than honorable discharge and gotten rid of him but the decision was not mine. In any event, he is going to be made an example of. They are going to give him a trial and he will not get a jury that agrees with his motives. He will spend time behind bars with a federal conviction on his record. Of course, that means Hollywood liberals will make a movie about him and he will make millions off it, but he will be a coward nonetheless.

I wonder how George S. Patton would have handled this guy?

Source: My Way News

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2 Responses to “Army Officer And Lawyer Confuse Free Speech With Duty”

  1. Schatz says:

    I hope they do make an example of him — a hard example. He’s a disgrace to the uniform of hard-working, honorable American soldiers.

  2. T J says:

    Load him up and ship him out to fulfill his obligation. Send him wherever he was to be deployed to and he can have his day in court after and only after he has fulfilled his contract. He is a disgrace to the U S. If I were still able I would re-enlist because I believe in the American way.