After deserting in 2008, when he was 22.
Army has taken him to Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg).
My prediction is a quick plea, bad conduct discharge and little to no jail time. It will probably be downgraded to something like failure to repair.
Unless there is some other more serious charge.
My prediction: Court-martial convened and the military judge honors a pre-trial agreement which will include a custodial sentence (suspended), reduction in rank to Private (E-1), and a Bad Conduct Discharge.
The cited article mentions this:
Under U.S. military law, desertion is defined as being absent from military duties without authority with intent to remain away permanently.
If a soldier deserts his post in a time of war the punishment can be death.
In 2008 the U.S. military was actively engaged in the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan.
But it fails to mention the United States, in fact, is not at war, and has not been since World War II.
They also misspell “Department of Defense”.
There is caselaw stating that a state of war doesn’t have to be a formally declared war.
TLDR: it’s complicated
It’s spelled “defence” in Canada. It’s a Canadian website.
My dog crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I’m thinking it wasn’t the same one?
Canadians can spell the word however they want, but the name of the US organization is “Department of Defense” and they should spell it that way. Just as a US web site should spell the corresponding Canadian organization correctly as “The Department of National Defence” despite that not being how “defense” is spelled in US English.
I read through some of that, and, yes, you’re correct; it’s long and complicated. And I really find their rationale wanting. I’ll try to read the rest of it tonight and even see what the Supreme Court had to say about it.
I’d agree with that if the article said defence department or even defense ministry, but they specifically wrote U.S. Department of Defence, which is not how the name of the outfit’s spelled (spelt?).
I see markn_1 beat me to it.
hijack hidden by mod, please don't reply
he should have waited until January-- I’m sure Trump would have pardoned him for not being a “sucker/loser”
Not likely. Didn’t he rail against those who avoided the draft by going to Canada, calling them disloyal, and basically said he woudl’ve served himself if it weren’t for those cursed bone spurs?
did you forget the sarcasm font? a billionaire who can’t afford to get alleged bone-spur fixed over 4 years? and he only said that to falsely appeal to the patriot wing, who then ignore his calling troops “losers/idiots/suckers”
Does this really need to become another Trump thread? Not putting on my mod hat yet.
I don’t know. Did your dog ever visit Niagara Falls?
For those who don’t live in the area, the Rainbow Bridge crosses over the Niagara River between Niagara Falls, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario. The bridge is close to the falls and on sunny days, the spray from the falls does often produce rainbows which are visible from the bridge. Walking across the bridge is a popular tourist activity.
It’s the same bridge that had the Flying Bentley a year ago.
Yes, I should have mentioned that crashing your car into the bridge at a hundred miles an hour is a less popular tourist activity.
Moderating:
Please don’t bring up Trump in threads that have nothing to do with Trump.
More info has come out about the guy. He’s a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne. Started in the National Guard and transferred to the Army. Was an enthusiastic Army guy, including acting as a military recruiter.
Until he went to Afghanistan.
Back in the States, and facing another tour of duty in Afghanistan, he decided to come to Canada and apply for political refugee status. While his application was pending, he publicly spoke out against the US military operations while wearing his uniform.
Worked as an iron worker during his time in Canada.
His refugee claim appears to have been denied twice by the Refugee Board. It’s very difficult for an American to make a refugee claim in Canada, given the legal test to qualify. The Federal Court set aside the denials twice and remitted it, but it sounds like he was unsuccessful.
So he decided to go home. Sounds like he wanted to see his mother again, as she’s getting on.