By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
VILSECK, Germany — A soldier who refused to deploy with his unit to Iraq because of a “deeply held personal belief” that he should not take a human life will spend the next six months in jail before being thrown out of the Army.Spc. Benjamin Stewart, 25, of the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, pleaded guilty Wednesday to missing movement on Jan. 7, 2008, when he was scheduled to deploy to Iraq. Stewart had already been convicted — and reduced in rank from sergeant to specialist — of being absent without leave when the bulk of the regiment deployed last summer. read more…..
19 Comments
Good for this soldier, at least he understands that when you kill innocent people all you do is create enemies. This war is a crime against humanity. It’s nice to know there are some out there who understand that not every war that our government throws at us is righteous, and that we have to stand up and answer to our own conscience before we answer to anyone else, period.
Just because you sign a contract with the military doesn’t mean you sign away your humanity and conscience There is a higher calling and duty to one’s self and/or God than to the government. The Nurnberg trials bear this fact out.
The preceeding comment does not reflect the opinions of the site management nor the views of the Board of Governors of the Second Cavalry Association.
Tim,
For the record I need to caution you that you are posting anti-war comments on a veterans site that has a primary audience of war and regional conflict veterans dating back to WWII. Furthermore I want you to know that these veterans are the same veterans that have fought for the very freedoms you enjoy today. Those freedoms include the freedom to post your anti-war comments on a veteran managed and supported web site.
It is because of the sacrifice our veterans and countless untold other veterans of all of the Branches of the US Military that myself and the rest of the editorial staff allowed your comment to be posted on the web site. And your continued feedback on articles that you find here is generally welcome on the merit that it is your opinion or other constructive comments or criticism. However I will issue you a cautionary note. If your opinion goes beyond the scope of constructive feedback then I will exercise my rights as the Webmaster and one of the 3 editors of the Second Cavalry Association and remove any such comments.
Keep it clean, keep it honest and sincere and above the belt.
P.S. If you really want to get into a debate with some of our veterans you always welcome to post over on DragoonBase. I’m sure they would love to talk things over with you.
Isaac Golding
Webmaster
Second Cavalry Association Inc.
Every soldier is antiwar, none of them wants to sacrifice their lives if it’s not necessary, and we both know, Iraq was not necessary. Every soldier wants to go home to their family.
Every soldier has a conscience, and he is required to use it to determine when he is being used and mislead, or when his sacrifice is for a truly righteous cause. No soldier signs up for service and expects his life to be taken or used in a callous way. When you follow along and don’t ask questions, that is when you invite the callous way in which our troops lives are being used today in Iraq.
This man stood up against the massive government and took it to task over what he deems an unrighteous war. This man was born with the inalianable right to his conscience and he understood the necessity to answer to that conscience as a higher authority than anyone can dictate to him. I say, this man has dignity and honor that is beyond reproach. This is the type of man everyone in the military should want to have in a leadership position because he has a greater sense of what is right, wrong and truth in his duty than those who just go with the flow.
Then again, I was also in war, therefore I needed no one to pull my weight when it comes to my freedoms, I earned them on my own terms as if I had to earn them, since my own grandfathers literally fought to make sure I had them from before the revolution onward. Such is not the case today. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, yet over a million Iraqis are dead, 27000 troops wounded, and much more than 4000 dead under different categories not just KIA.
When are all of us going to start questioning? Or are we to expect to be sheep led to the slaughter!
As a veteran of both Desert Storm and OIF III and a current National Guard soldier who is going back to active duty soon, I want to say first that I find Tim’s comments highly offensive. Secondly, I want to say that this soldier needs to be punished. No one joins the military since 2003 and does [not] expect to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. This soldier re-enlisted IN IRAQ while the killing he is whining about was going on, so I say show him no quarter. He knew he was going to be deployed again and he knew that the killing was going to continue and he knew that he was going to be a part of it. What he needs to realize is that collateral damage is real and it happens. Yeah it sucks, but you can’t let it get to you. If you do then you have no business being in the military. I personally feel that soldiers like this are cowards who are afraid to live up to their commitment. I am not saying that going to war does not scare me, hell, it should scare everyone. What I am saying is that if you WILLINGLY join this ALL VOLUNTEER FORCE, then you need to have the courage to face these fears and soldier on. Pure and simple. I knew many men who were scared to go to war, but when the bullets started flying, they performed brilliantly. We have many fine men and women who are serving and comments like Tim’s are an affront to their service.
Toujours Pret!
SENTENCE TOO LIGHT
He’s lucky he only got six months
In my opinion, Stewart should remain locked up until his unit returns from Iraq, then stand
to be judged by those he deserted.
He also needs to payback his re enlistment bonus.
Tim, what kind of Army would we have if every soldier was allowed to act like Pvt. Stewart?
Two facts of war: 1- Soldiers die. 2 - Civilians die. Neither fact is sought, but both are inevitable. I have little compassion, sympathy or even empathy for someone who, as Bruce points out, chose to not only enlist but to re-enlist knowning full well that deployment to a region where combat (with the above noted facts present) was a very real and probable outcome and then refused to obey the orders that they willingly, and knowingly, swore to uphold. My opinion.
I think it was best stated by Sgt. Nels A. “Andy” Moller, G Troop, 2ACR, just prior to being killed by enemy fire during the Battle of 73 Easting, February 26, 1991: “If they get me, that’s just another bullet that was gonna hit somebody else.”
It is not for us to decide what is the proper punishment for this man. What is done is done. I personnaly don’t find this man a coward as he has to have big ones to make a decision like this.
Tim,
While I respect the comments that you have made greatly, I must also disagree with you and your opinion. Being a veteran as well, I too understand honor and duty but do not know the honor and duty you speak of. My sense of honor comes from met obligations and my sense of duty comes from those obligations to my God and my country. Honor is essentially trustworthiness that comes from virtuous, courageous men and women; this boy lost his trustworthiness in being AWOL. There are many people counting on him to be there when the bullets are flying. Now someone has to take his place. Duty you say? Do not speak of duty unless you mean commitment or a charge! This boy has no commitment. Soldiers do not create policy nor do they balk when their superiors challenge them with orders. This soldier was given a lawful order. We can argue the cause of the lawful order but not the mode. This man’s conscience was tested before he reenlisted; he knew the implications of reenlisting.
Every soldier signs up, especially in the Cavalry, knowing he could take a life and lose his own in the process. This soldier is a disgrace, not because he doesn’t want to take life, because he defaulted on a commitment dishonoring his country, the Cavalry and himself. He will recover from this and may God keep his soul at peace with his decision.
Toujours Pret!
1/2 ACR Vet
From what I’ve read, most “just” wars have been about standing up and putting an end to a wrong (See: fascism, imperialism, slavery, genocide) Seems like this young man, who should be severely penalized for his new found conscience under contract, is simply standing up for what he deeply believes in. A coward? Only he & his maker know that for sure. It seems to me, that if he’s got the guts for this- he is no coward. Yes, he should be drawn & quartered and sent to Leavenworth. I am a combat veteran and proud to have been a Cavalryman for 20+ years, but if I were ordered back to Iraq for this oil grab/political debacle I too may have to take a detour to Kansas. Always Ready (for a good fight)!
I really think six months sends a bad message. They should have given him twice the standard deployment time ie. 3 years. My son deployed with the 82d Airborne to Afghanistan and Iraq. I deployed to Desert Storm and firmly believe that the Regiment is the best trained in the Army to do what it does and it is not about killing the enemy its about keeping the peace.
I believe that his sentence is far too light since this is war time. When I joined the Army back in 85 as a medic, I did it because I love my country and if I must deploy to some far away land on the map and kill people or even die for my country then so be it. I now hold the rank of CSM in the guard, and because of 9-11 I went back in and have not looked back since.
My personal opinion is that if you join the military for another reason other than for your country that should be a NO-GO.
Think about the phrase “ALL VOLUNTEER MILITARY” for a minute. For whatever propaganda may be out there selling military service, it comes down to entering into a contract. I enlisted knowing full well that regardless of my personal beliefs, I may be put in harms way by the government. Is the young man brave for standing up for his beliefs? Yes. Does he have honor for invalidating the contract he signed to serve the country in whatever capacity needed? Hell no!
At one point or another we all have had to put our personal feelings aside and “get it done”. It irritates me to no end to read the “anti war” rhetoric written by those that enjoy the rights to do so by me, and others like me, putting our lives aside for a time to do whatever is deemed needed by our country. I don’t really think the war was needed, but it needs to reach a conclusion. The man gave his word to serve, twice. Put him away until the last soldier comes home. Lead, follow, or just get the hell out of my way. Pretty simple stuff. Our society is becoming consequence free-scary times……………
Do the job you’re being paid to do. The military has spent quite a bit of money training you to do a specific job, so just do it. You knew what you were getting into when you signed the bottom line. You’re not a politician; you are not entitled to debate the issues of war. You are a soldier. Do your job. Abandoning you’re unit during wartime requires a penalty much more severe than 6 months in the can…
Well…
Here is my opinion on the whole thing;
When I was in the Army, I considered myself and those I served with (especially the 2d ACR)as professional soldiers. A professional soldier without question obeys the orders of his/her Commander in Chief. A professional soldier does not allow their personal feelings, be they good or bad, to interfere with the order from the Commander in Chief for U.S. Military Forces to deploy for combat.
Professional soldiers understand they are not U.S. policy makers, but they are the ones expected to enforce U.S. policy where and when policy makers deem necessary.
When Stewart re-enlisted, he was fully aware of what is expected of a professional soldier. He also re-enlisted while serving in a combat zone during his prior enlistment, so he knew that his chances of another combat tour were about as high as they get.
I am sure when Stewart received his re-enlistment bonus, he did a little dance. Now he has to deploy back to Iraq and pay the fiddler for the dance, but he refuses.
Although a BCD will haunt him for the rest of his life, I personally think the six month sentence is very light. Refusing to deploy to a combat zone is a serious offense, and I think Sewart is getting off easy in that respect.
As for the comments made to Stewart by the RDC….Toujours Pret Sir!
Once Cav, ALWAYS CAV!
Kudos to Stewart for standing up to harsh criticism. I am a disabled Iraqi Veteran (1-5 FA, 1st ID (Ft. Riley), Ar Ramadi, September 2003-September 2004) and mostly proud of it, though I am ashamed of the country that sent us there. Though the honorable soldiers I served with acted with integrity and dignity and respect, the US has committed war crimes in invading a country without provocation.
How DARE Grace (the prosecutor) put this kid in jail for standing up for what he believes in. Stewart’s got more guts than me, certainly, because I was too much of a coward to stand up and not go. Rather, I went, and in doing so, I helped to perpetuate the atrocities that have left almost 4000 soldiers killed and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead and fleeing for their lives. My punishment is being permanently disabled, and I probably deserve worse for not standing up in the way that Stewart did.
The worst part, for me, is this: around the same time that Stewart was being tried, Grace also prosecuted a case in which the offending soldier got jail time for child pornography. His sentence? 6 months and a BCD.
What kind of world do we live in when people who stand up for the right thing are punished as severely as people who abuse children? I can only hope that Jail-Justice does both of them what they deserve.
Stewart is a hero. Make him pay back the bonus, sure. He’ll make enough when he gets out being a spokesman for Iraqi Veterans Against the War or Amnesty International.
Bottom line you joined the service, nobody made you.
To refuse deployment in my mind makes you a coward.
Many are afraid to go but do so since they knew the risks of being a soldier.
I was scared but served with honor.
For the user matthew who posted before I am sorry for your disability for I am also disabled but to try and excuse Spc. Benjamin Stewart as being a hero?
You are so very wrong.
Always Ready!
I am a bit lat on the whole conversation, but I felt compelled to put my two cents in, here it is.
Stewart was a SPC when I got to his PLT, he would talk about the big “Fire Fight” That he and his SQD got in to back in 2005, in this fight men were lost and all most all were injured. That is all I will say about that. Now as for him standing up for what he believes in “That is Bull” any one that knows him knows that. The day we deployed, he missed movement left his team his SQD and his unit. He plain did not show up. A while later he came back, and was scheduled to fly out and meet us here, while back in the rear we had young Soldiers come to the unit and “Your Hero” Stewart would brag to then about what he did the last time and the fighting and talk about how great he is, fortunately it was not long and the young Soldiers began to see through his crap. Then it came time for him to deploy for the second time to meet up with us and he deserted again. Wow he really is courageous and defiantly some one for your anti War statements. I am truly sorry to hear that you are disabled, you defiantly have earned you right to protest as much as you see fit, not Stewart though. However because of many brave and courageous Soldiers, he has that right, when he gets out of jail. Oh by the way the sentence is nowhere near long enough. That being said neither is Wendy’s, they both should have received a lot more time. It is a good thing that we have Soldiers that will fight for our beliefs and our way of life, if we did not they would both be put to death, instead of going to jail. So when you say things and you don’t have to worry about being thrown in jail, or worse killed remember who gives you that right….. It sure is not Stewart.
“A Soldiers life is not just his alone, but that of the people and country he protects.”
Written by me.