US Army deserters tell The Guardian why they had to quit

[mr blur]

<snip>

Whether you call them deserters, conscientious objectors or resisters, every story of American soldiers who left the army prematurely because of the Iraq war shares the same emotional trajectory. They begin with doubt and end with determination. And somewhere along the way comes that ill-defined but crucial moment when the psychological struggle and moral angst overwhelm their military commitment.

<snip>

To grasp fully why some troops go awol, one must look beyond the polls to what made them join in the first place. All have their own reasons but Darrell Anderson's story is the one you hear most often. "I was trying to get into college," he says. "I was living in a trailer with my grandmother. I was broke and I needed education and healthcare, and if I had to go to war for it then that was just what I had to do. Going to the military was my last chance. My last option." He describes the circumstances that shaped his choice with a resigned smile and the choice itself with candour - as though going to war were a necessary, if unfortunate, stepping stone to his own American dream.

One of the central differences between this generation of deserters and those of the Vietnam era is class, says Lee Zaslofsky, coordinator of the War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada. "Back then we went to university to get deferments from the draft. Now they go into the military to go to university," he says. Troops in the Vietnam war were conscripted; now they are volunteers. Zaslofsky himself went north of the border in 1969.

</snip>

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1857415,00.html

[longship]

1. These stories need to be heard.

Recommended and kicked
:kick:

[democrank]

2. Anguish over a decision to desert

must be intense, but so is a recruiter`s snare. Without bonuses and promises, the pool of potential cannon fodder would diminish greatly.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. They sound like they're having a rational reaction to an irrational

situation. The big mistake with Catch 22, is that it never mentioned that AWOL was an option. Too many good people trying to live within the confines of bad rules.

[Hubert Flottz]

4. Those Guys just want to go run a campaign for some dude in

Alabama!