Army Lieutenant Refuses to Go to Iraq, Could Face Jail Time

Army 1st Lieutenant Ehren Watada is refusing to deploy to Iraq with his unit later this month, believing the war is illegal and immoral, and says he's prepared to accept the consequences, including a possible jail term. Watada said, "We have violated American law. We can't break laws in order to fight terrorism." He believes intelligence on whether Iraq had WMDs was manipulated, quote, "to fit a policy that was already implemented prior to 9/11," and also spoke about what he said is mistreatment of the Iraqi people.

Watada did not apply for conscientious objector status, saying he's only against the war in Iraq and would in fact be willing to serve in Afghanistan or elsewhere. He sent a letter to his command in January saying he felt he couldn't go to Iraq, and months later resubmitted his request to resign. However, the request was denied, because the Army said Watada's unit is in a stop-loss category, and he hasn't fulfilled his service obligation. Watada joined the Army in March 2003, and his commission requires that he serve as an active-duty officer until December.

Do you believe a soldier should be able to refuse to deploy if he believes the war is illegal and/or immoral?