well its dec 2n two days since i was awarded refugee protection in canada, i am now waiting for a hearing to determen weather i am eligible for refugee status. i am awol from the us army. i left my home state of idaho after returnig there for leave(to say good bye to my family and friends) I had got earier that month orders to go to iraq, i had less than a month to prepare to go to iraq , i had really no formal combat training, i was stationed at ft knox in ky which is a tradoc unit we trained officers to be tank commaders. i mostly did toc (tacticle opperations center) duties and drove 1st sgts around in hummvees and picked up chow. and really out of the blue recieved orders. they stated that this is a high priority short notice oder to support opperational requirnments of 2-2 IN in iraq. they must really have been desprate to pick me to go usually they send whole units that trained together in to combat, but they were short numbered and picked me to be a tool for destuction. and to send me strait to fellujh of all places not the millatary resorts in bagdad that people that returned form iraq told me about but strait into hell fellujah where killing inocent peole is a norm where they use white phos and napalm on inocent people. i couldnt be a part of that , i had pounderd the thought of coming to canada if i ever got ordes to iraq before now it was time to really consider it but this ment i could never return to the states i would have to say goodbye to my fam and freinds. of i could refuse the orders an face 10 years at fort levanworth of hard labor. f**k that i shouldnt be punished for doing the right thing. thats crazy. so on june 6th of this year i crossed into canada and started touring canada(hitch hiking) from toffino bc to st johns new foundland and back to northern on where i now reside. i have wounderful support around me and am involved with many more like myself we are was resisters we will be heard!!!!! impeach bush exercise you right "if you dont stand for something you will fall for anything" robin war resister formaly pfc L%%$ us army
Youve got a lot of guts to opt out and go to Cananda. I know alot of people would say different. But I can say from a personal standpoint that what your doing is harder than staying and facing up to Iraq or the US Army. Your going to be running for the rest of your life, you'll never be able to go home again without looking over your shoulder and the stigma you and your family will carry from your desertion will haunt you both. Please don't think I'm saying this to be mean I'm not and I truly hope things don't turn out that way for you. My husband just left for his second tour of Iraq and beleive me Canada crossed both our minds more than once. But, going in to the Army he knew there would come a time when he would have to fight and he made that choice. Now, again not to be mean, but I have to ask. I see you are a PFC, which tells me you haven't been in long, which tells me you knew about the war going in. Why did you decide to join? I'm assuming your a young man and they promised you college and benefits and such? Are you sure Canada is your only option? My son in law went awol for 2 weeks but he decided to go back, they took his rank, gave him an article 15 and that was the end of it. He did a tour of Iraq and now he will be out in February. I don't think any of us agree with this war but yet here we are. Take care, I hope the best for you
