Soldier Arranges To Be Shot To Avoid Returning To Iraq

[EV_Ares]

By Sewell Chan

Jonathan Aponte, a 20-year-old Army private, has admitted that he arranged to have himself shot in the knee to avoid being sent back to Iraq and then told police he had been wounded in a robbery.

Today, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, the Bronx district attorney, Robert T. Johnson, announced. In a deal with prosecutors, Private Aponte pleaded guilty to one count of falsely reporting an incident in the third degree. Under the agreement, Justice John N. Byrne of State Supreme Court is to sentence him to a term of one year in jail on Oct. 17. His guilty plea in this case also covered any potential charges of perjury in connection with the investigation into the shooting, according to the district attorney’s office.

Assistant District Attorney James P. Cudden told the court that investigators had determined that Private Aponte lied to a grand jury about his experiences in Iraq. Private Aponte did not witness a soldier’s suicide, as he claimed, and was not under fire in combat, Mr. Cudden said, adding that Private Aponte was a supply clerk on a military base and was never involved in any hostilities.
Private Aponte was shot in the knee on July 9. At first, he told hospital workers and police officers that he had been robbed but his explanation quickly unraveled.

(entire story @ the following link)

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/to-avoid-war-soldier-admits-he-paid-a-bronx-man-to-shoot-him/index.html?hp

[Nomad559]

1. To Avoid Return to Iraq, Soldier Arranged to Be Shot

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3530939

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