Soldier who refused Afghan deployment freed early from prison

[unhappycamper]

Soldier who refused Afghan deployment freed early from prison
By Hal Bernton, The Seattle Times
Stars and Stripes online edition, Friday, March 26, 2010

SEATTLE — Pvt. Travis Bishop, an Army soldier who refused to deploy to Afghanistan, was released from confinement Thursday at Joint Base Lewis-McChord after getting three months cut off his 12-month prison sentence.

The sentence was reduced following a clemency appeal that included more than 400 letters of support and complaints about Bishop's treatment at the base's regional correctional facility, according to James Branum, an attorney representing Bishop.

~snip~

Bishop's concerns included an inability to have confidential calls with his attorney and having female guards watch him in the shower and bathroom, according to Branum.

Joe Kubistek, a joint base spokesman, say Bishop was treated fairly at the facility and given all the rights afforded to other prisoners. Bishop, 26, who had been stationed at Fort Hood, is in his sixth year in the Army.

While serving in Iraq, Bishop started asking questions about the war. He decided he would not make a second deployment to a combat zone in Afghanistan, according to Branum.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=68936

[howard112211]

1. That is pretty cool. As a side note: I thought the penalty was much bigger.

I thought it would be more like 5 years, rather than 12 months.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[chrisa]

3. I think what he did was pretty noble.

If every soldier did what he did, there would be no wars.

As for "working a bit harder," we (US citizens) will now because Iraq and Afghanistan are monetary blackholes. Not to mention the US and Afghan families ruined by this war.

[Cid_B]

7. If I had wheels, I'd be a wagon...

Up until that magical point bad things will continue to happen and backing out of what you agreed by contract and oath and leaving a hole in your unit does no one any favors.

[Echo In Light]

8. Yeah, nevermind morals & ethics when there's contracts & oaths at stake!

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

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[Cid_B]

13. Riiiiight....

He's making such a huge difference sitting in a cell (soon to be his mom's couch.)

Someone who really gave a shit would fulfill their obligations and go where the problem is so that he personally could do everything he could to make sure the right things happen (seeing as how he felt soooooo strongly about the whole issue.)

Much easier to just leave the problem to someone else...

PS. Love the personal attack. You feel better now?

[chrisa]

14. I disagree.

Even going to war means that you're contributing to war. I personally believe that the army should have a revolving door. What business does this country have forcing people to fight as soldiers, especially when many of them are right out of High School. It's just not fair. Hopefully in the future, a truly peaceful nation will look back upon our time and wonder why our army forced people to fight for them just because they signed a peace of paper over a year ago.

[Cid_B]

16. I'll give this a go...

Not sure what you mean by a revolving door... We should just take in recruits, give them their benefits and then not deploy them?

No one is forced to fight as a Soldier. Every single person is a volunteer of legal age.

I am having a hard time imagining a United States that does not have a standing military (at least not one that I want to live in.)

I don't even know what to make of your last half sentence and it hurts my brain.

[Thothmes]

15. it takes soldiers from all armies to do this to not have a war

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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[Echo In Light]

6. Dead fucking wrong; everyone else should have followed his courageous example

[Echo In Light]

5. k/r

[Echo In Light]

10. Vets For Peace

http://www.veteransforpeace.org/

http://www.ivaw.org/

[unhappycamper]

12. I belong to the VFP and VVAW.

I'm also a registered supporter of IVAW.

[Solly Mack]

11. K&R