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A defense lawyer discusses what they're saying about leaving their posts-and whether they're likely to find sanctuary in Canada. HUGHEY Charles Lewis / AP American deserter Brandon Hughey is applying for refugee status in Canada Web-exclusive By By Sarah Childress Newsweek March 27, 2007 - Why are so many soldiers deserting their posts? This week, the Army announced that 3,301 active-duty soldiers had deserted the Army in 2006- over 800 more than had been previously reported. From the American Revolution through World War II, US Army deserters, defined as those who abandoned their posts without permission for at least 30 days, faced harsh penalties if they were caught. Death is still the maximum penalty for deserting in wartime, but no one's been executed for leaving the current conflicts. They're more likely to face up to five years in jail and a dishonorable discharge or another deployment into a combat zone, as commanders are more focused on filling their ranks than punishing prodigals. Still, the 101 convictions last year were at the highest they've been in nearly a decade. "It's a more serious offense during a time of war," says spokesman Robert Tallman in an e-mail. "A soldier who deserts the Army and thus his or her fellow soldiers, has a negative impact on unit readiness and morale." Today's deserters are different than their conscripted counterparts from previous wars. According to Jeffry House, one of the most well-known defense lawyers for these cases, the troops usually have served a term or two in Iraq and Afghanistan already, and don't want to go back. A Vietnam-era draft-dodger now living in Toronto, House currently represents over 30 American military personnel who are seeking refugee status in Canada to escape prosecution for desertion. He spoke to NEWSWEEK's Sarah Childress in between cases.
In other words, there was no justifiable reason to attack Iraq in the first place. People are now telling me stuff like, "We clear out a section of Baghdad, hand it over to the government, and the next day 70 bodies would appear."
People can't justify to their own selves what they're doing there, it just seems wrong, wrong, wrong to them. I have a couple of guys who actually finished a six-year commitment.
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