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| And Watada Out Of Here |
| 2009-10-04 |
| An Army lieutenant who refused to deploy to Iraq in 2006, saying he believed the war was illegal, has officially left the service. Fort Lewis spokesman Joseph Piek confirmed that Ehren Watada was discharged Friday. Watada was charged with missing his unit's deployment and with conduct unbecoming an officer for denouncing President Bush and the war - statements he made while explaining his actions. His court-martial ended in a mistrial in February 2007. The Army wanted to try him in a second court-martial, but a federal judge said a second trial on key charges, including missing troop movement, would violate Watada's constitutional right to be free from double jeopardy. Watada lawyer Kenneth Kagan said last week that the Army had finally allowed his client to resign. Kagan added that Watada was granted a discharge "under other than honorable conditions." |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #1 A retrial after a mistrial is not double jeopardy. Double jeopardy would be a retrial after an acquittal, and a mistrial is not an acquittal. Or am I missing something? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-10-04 21:26 |