[Vision2020] Quaker GI flees Army Unit
Tom Hansen
thansen@moscow.com
Sun, 22 Feb 2004 17:45:56 -0800
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According to the article Jeremy Hinzman is a first-term enlistee in the
infantry. According to himself, what attracted Jeremy to the Army was
subsidized housing, groceries, and money for college. Being a first-term
infantry enlistee, I am certain that he also received a major enlistment
bonus (in the neighborhood of $12,000 to $15,000) upon successful completion
of infantry training. If, for some reason or another, he is unable to
complete his 3-, 4-, 5-, or 6-year contract he may be required to return a
portion of that bonus.
My guess is that he enjoyed the benefits and simply did not want to fulfil
his part of the contract. Could you imagine the precedent it would set if
the Army let him out of his contract/enlistment without any
repercussions?????
Sorry, Tim. I am not buying it.
Tom Hansen
-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-admin@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]On
Behalf Of Tim Lohrmann
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 5:19 PM
To: thansen@moscow.com
Cc: vision2020@moscow.com
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Quaker GI flees Army Unit
Tom,
I agree, there's a huge diff. between being drafted and forced versus
signing up on your own free will.
I respect his religious views, but after all you gotta expect that if
you're going into the army they're gonna want you to learn to kill.
TL
Tom Hansen <thansen@moscow.com> wrote:
AWOLs and "desertion" for religious reasons (Quaker, this time) are very
very common.
In 1991 a soldier refused to ship out with his unit to Iraq. This was
reported by CNN.
During Vietnam, people refused to register with the Selective Service
System (spelled D-R-A-F-T) and many of them went to Canada.
It is easier to understand why draftees refuse to "go". In today's All
Volunteer Army, I simply cannot understand this refusal to "go". I am
certain that they understood what was ahead of them when they raised their
hand and took the oath. They had to have realized that the Army is alot
more than sitting back and collecting a paycheck twice a month.
I have absolutely no sympathy for an enlistee that refuses to go, based
on his/her religious convictions. His/Her religious convistions didn't keep
him/her from enlisting.
What ever happened to the old saying, "Serving Proudly"?
I consider these people to be a personal slap in the faced of all those
who went before them.
Take care,
Tom Hansen
SFC, U.S. Army (Retired)
Not On The Palouse, Not Ever
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail. But, a true friend
will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"
-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-admin@moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]On Behalf Of Tim Lohrmann
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 1:03 PM
To: vision2020@moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Quaker GI flees Army Unit
Visioners,
The first real desertion I've seen reported since the Iraqi
invasion started.
I understand there are plenty of AWOL's though.
TL
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=military&Story=6185924
Published on: 2004-02-19
Quaker deserts as unit deploys
By Julia Oliver
Staff writer
Contributed photo
Jeremy Hinzman fled to Canada with his wife, Nga Nguyen, and their
son, Liam, in January.
Jeremy Hinzman said he could barely stomach chanting "kill we will"
during basic training and, as a Quaker, he didn't want to shoot anybody. But
it was the thought of serving U.S. interests in Iraq that made the 82nd
Airborne Division specialist flee to Canada last month.
"I would have felt no different than a private in the German Army
during World War II," he said by phone from Toronto, where he is seeking
refugee status.
Hinzman, 25, who was a member of the 2nd Battalion of the 504th
Parachute Infantry Regiment, is subject to prosecution as a deserter if he
is caught within U.S. borders.
His name will go on a national database that law enforcement
officers can access, said Sgt. Pam Smith, a spokeswoman for the 82nd
Airborne. He can be arrested, but the Army won't go looking for him, she
said.
"We don't have time to go and track down people who go AWOL," she
said. "We're fighting a war."
Hinzman, who grew up in Ra! ! pid City, S.D., joined the Army in
January 2001. The socialist structure of the military appealed to him, he
said. He liked the subsidized housing and groceries and, at the end of his
service, the money for college.
"It seemed like a good financial decision," he said. And, he said,
"I had a romantic vision of what the Army was."
But from the beginning, basic training bothered him. He said he was
horrified by the chanting about blood and killing during marches, by the
shooting at targets without faces and by what he called the dehumanization
of the enemy.
"It's like watching some kind of scary movie, except I was in it,"
he said. "People would just walk around saying things like, 'Oh, I want to
kill somebody.'"
He felt that the prospect of killing should be taken more seriously
and that soldiers should not talk about death in such a cavalier way, he
said.
In August 2002, Hinzman turned in his first application to be a
conscientious objector. He wanted to f! ulfill! his service obligation, he
said, but he didn't want to participate in combat. He wrote a six-page
explanation of his beliefs, but the Army told him it was lost.
"I was informed three months later that it was never received," he
said. Last fall, while doing clerical work, he was given a file that
included that application.
By the time Hinzman applied again at the end of October, his unit
was on track to go to Afghanistan. He deployed in December, and the
application was pending.
"I didn't mind being deployed. I just didn't want to shoot anybody,"
he said.
Not allowed to go on patrol, he worked as a dishwasher, often 15
hours a day and, for the first few months, without a day off. He said his
unit didn't get into any major combat.
Application denied
While he was in Afghanistan, his application for conscientious
objector status was evaluated and denied, he said. Hinzman said he thinks
one question - Would he defe! nd h! is unit if attacked? - destroyed his
chances. He said he answered yes, reasoning that he had no choice if he was
forced to carry a gun.
"I was a little bit too honest, I guess," he said.
In July, he returned to Fayetteville, and to his wife, Nga Nguyen,
and their 14-month-old son, Liam.
"My son, of course, was a little bit shy about seeing me, but that
went away after a few hours," he said.
He and Nguyen figured it was only a matter of time before his unit
would go to Iraq. He said he felt the war there was unjust and was being
fought over oil interests.
"Had we, say, gone to war with North Korea or someone that was an
imminent threat, I would have gone along with it," he said. "I signed up to
defend our country, not be a pawn in some sort of political ideology."
He began to think about his options. And about what he might have to
do if he went to Iraq.
On Dec. 20, Hinzman found out that his unit would be deployed. And
on Jan. 2, he packed his ! famil! y into his car for the 18-hour drive to
Canada. The three left at night, on the Friday of a four-day weekend.
Hinzman's absence wasn't noticed until that Monday; he wasn't declared AWOL
until the following day.
Support network
Through his philosophical objections to the Army, Hinzman has
received much support from Quakers in Fayetteville and Toronto. He has
always been interested in Buddhism, he said, but joined the Friends Meeting
after he moved to Fayetteville and couldn't find a place to worship in the
Buddhist faith.
"The Quaker's mode of worship was closest to meditation because it's
silent," he said. In Toronto, the Quakers took Hinzman and his family in
while they looked for an apartment, he said.
Ann Ashford, recording clerk at the Fayetteville Friends Meeting,
said Hinzman and his wife were faithful attendees of the meetings. She said
the community supports Hinzman, but no one at the meeting knew he was
planning to desert.
"We're all very concerned about him," she said.
Ashford said Hinzman spoke with Chuck Fager, executive director of
the Quaker House, a related organization that counsels soldiers who are
seeking discharge from the military. Fager could not be reached Wednesday
but has said in an e-mail that calls to the organization's hot line from
service members and their families last year reached a record total of
6,187, up by 50 percent from the year before.
According to the Toronto Globe and Mail, Hinzman is believed to be
the first U.S. soldier filing for refugee status in Canada for refusing duty
in Iraq. During the Vietnam War, an estimated 30,000 Americans sought refuge
in Canada to avoid compulsory military service.
Hinzman's chances of receiving refugee status are statistically
slim: According to Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board, none of the 268
American applicants last year was accepted. But people who are denied
refugee status are not automatically deported; they may be granted
permission to stay in Canada under other provisions, said Charles Hawkins, a
spokesman for the board.
Hinzman knows that the decisio! ! n will take awhile.
"It's a big drawn-out process," he said.
He said that the hardest part has been leaving the people in his
unit, which is still in Iraq.
"I didn't do this out of animosity toward them," he said, "but
toward the situation we were in."
Staff writer Julia Oliver can be reached at
oliverj@fayettevillenc.com or 323-4848, ext. 280.
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<DIV><SPAN class=3D166523801-23022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>According to the=20
article Jeremy Hinzman is a first-term enlistee in the infantry. =
According=20
to himself, what attracted Jeremy to the Army was subsidized housing, =
groceries,=20
and money for college. Being a first-term infantry enlistee, I am =
certain=20
that he also received a major enlistment bonus (in the neighborhood of =
$12,000=20
to $15,000) upon successful completion of infantry training. If, =
for some=20
reason or another, he is unable to complete his 3-, 4-, 5-, or 6-year =
contract=20
he may be required to return a portion of that =
bonus.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D166523801-23022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D166523801-23022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff size=3D2>My =
guess is that=20
he enjoyed the benefits and simply did not want to fulfil his part of =
the=20
contract. Could you imagine the precedent it would set if the Army =
let him=20
out of his contract/enlistment without any=20
repercussions?????</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D166523801-23022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D166523801-23022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>Sorry, Tim. =20
I am not buying it.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D166523801-23022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D166523801-23022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff size=3D2>Tom =
Hansen</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px =
solid">
<DIV class=3DOutlookMessageHeader dir=3Dltr align=3Dleft><FONT =
face=3DTahoma=20
size=3D2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> =
vision2020-admin@moscow.com=20
[mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Tim=20
Lohrmann<BR><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, February 22, 2004 5:19 =
PM<BR><B>To:</B>=20
thansen@moscow.com<BR><B>Cc:</B> =
vision2020@moscow.com<BR><B>Subject:</B> RE:=20
[Vision2020] Quaker GI flees Army Unit<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Tom,</DIV>
<DIV> I agree, there's a huge diff. between =
being=20
drafted and forced versus signing up on your own free will. </DIV>
<DIV> I respect his religious views, but after =
all you=20
gotta expect that if you're going into the army they're gonna want you =
to=20
learn to kill. <BR> TL<BR><B><I>Tom Hansen=20
<thansen@moscow.com></I></B> wrote:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=3Dreplbq=20
style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px =
solid">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=3DGENERATOR>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>AWOLs and=20
"desertion" for religious reasons (Quaker, this time) are very very=20
common. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>In 1991 a=20
soldier refused to ship out with his unit to Iraq. This was =
reported=20
by CNN.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>During=20
Vietnam, people refused to register with the Selective Service =
System=20
(spelled D-R-A-F-T) and many of them went to =
Canada.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>It is easier=20
to understand why draftees refuse to "go". In today's All =
Volunteer=20
Army, I simply cannot understand this refusal to "go". I am =
certain=20
that they understood what was ahead of them when they raised their =
hand and=20
took the oath. They had to have realized that the Army is alot =
more=20
than sitting back and collecting a paycheck twice a=20
month.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>I have=20
absolutely no sympathy for an enlistee that refuses to go, based on =
his/her=20
religious convictions. His/Her religious convistions didn't =
keep=20
him/her from enlisting.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>What ever=20
happened to the old saying, "Serving Proudly"?</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>I consider=20
these people to be a personal slap in the faced of all those who =
went before=20
them.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>Take=20
care,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>Tom=20
Hansen</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>SFC, U.S.=20
Army (Retired)</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>Not On The=20
Palouse, Not Ever</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D908301323-22022004>
<P><FONT size=3D2> A good friend will come and bail you out of=20
jail. But, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying,=20
"Damn...that was fun!"</FONT></P></SPAN></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff =
2px solid">
<DIV class=3DOutlookMessageHeader dir=3Dltr align=3Dleft><FONT =
face=3DTahoma=20
size=3D2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>=20
vision2020-admin@moscow.com =
[mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]<B>On=20
Behalf Of </B>Tim Lohrmann<BR><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, February 22, =
2004 1:03=20
PM<BR><B>To:</B> vision2020@moscow.com<BR><B>Subject:</B> =
[Vision2020]=20
Quaker GI flees Army Unit<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Visioners, </DIV>
<DIV> The first real desertion I've seen =
reported=20
since the Iraqi invasion started.</DIV>
<DIV> I understand there are plenty of =
AWOL's=20
though. </DIV>
<DIV> TL<BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=3Dreplbq=20
style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff =
2px solid">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><A=20
=
href=3D"http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=3Dmilitary&S=
tory=3D6185924">http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=3Dmilita=
ry&Story=3D<SPAN></SPAN>6185924</A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D-4><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D-2>Published on:=20
2004-02-19</FONT><BR><FONT color=3D#000000 =
size=3D-2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000000 size=3D+1><B>Quaker =
deserts as unit=20
deploys<BR></B></FONT><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000000 =
size=3D-1><B>By Julia=20
Oliver</B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000000 size=3D-1><B>Staff=20
writer<BR><BR><BR></B></FONT><FONT color=3D#000000 =
size=3D-2>Contributed=20
photo<BR></FONT><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000000 =
size=3D-1><B>Jeremy Hinzman=20
fled to Canada with his wife, Nga Nguyen, and their son, Liam, =
in=20
January.</B></FONT><BR><FONT color=3D#000000 =
size=3D-4></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D-1>Jeremy Hinzman said he =
could barely=20
stomach chanting "kill we will" during basic training and, as a =
Quaker,=20
he didn't want to shoot anybody. But it was the thought of =
serving U.S.=20
interests in Iraq that made the 82nd Airborne Division =
specialist flee=20
to Canada last month.<BR><BR>"I would have felt no different =
than a=20
private in the German Army during World War II," he said by =
phone from=20
Toronto, where he is seeking refugee status.<BR>Hinzman, 25, who =
was a=20
member of the 2nd Battalion of the 504th Parachute Infantry =
Regiment, is=20
subject to prosecution as a deserter if he is caught within U.S. =
borders.<BR><BR>His name will go on a national database that law =
enforcement officers can access, said Sgt. Pam Smith, a =
spokeswoman for=20
the 82nd Airborne. He can be arrested, but the Army won't go =
looking for=20
him, she said.<BR>"We don't have time to go and track down =
people who go=20
AWOL," she said. "We're fighting a war."<BR><BR>Hinzman, who =
grew up in=20
Ra! ! pid City, S.D., joined the Army in January 2001. The =
socialist=20
structure of the military appealed to him, he said. He liked the =
subsidized housing and groceries and, at the end of his service, =
the=20
money for college.<BR>"It seemed like a good financial =
decision," he=20
said. And, he said, "I had a romantic vision of what the Army=20
was."<BR><BR>But from the beginning, basic training bothered =
him. He=20
said he was horrified by the chanting about blood and killing =
during=20
marches, by the shooting at targets without faces and by what he =
called=20
the dehumanization of the enemy.<BR>"It's like watching some =
kind of=20
scary movie, except I was in it," he said. "People would just =
walk=20
around saying things like, 'Oh, I want to kill =
somebody.'"<BR><BR>He=20
felt that the prospect of killing should be taken more seriously =
and=20
that soldiers should not talk about death in such a cavalier =
way, he=20
said.<BR>In August 2002, Hinzman turned in his first application =
to be a=20
conscientious objector. He wanted to f! ulfill! his service =
obligation,=20
he said, but he didn't want to participate in combat. He wrote a =
six-page explanation of his beliefs, but the Army told him it =
was=20
lost.<BR><BR>"I was informed three months later that it was =
never=20
received," he said. Last fall, while doing clerical work, he was =
given a=20
file that included that application.<BR>By the time Hinzman =
applied=20
again at the end of October, his unit was on track to go to =
Afghanistan.=20
He deployed in December, and the application was =
pending.<BR><BR>"I=20
didn't mind being deployed. I just didn't want to shoot =
anybody," he=20
said.<BR>Not allowed to go on patrol, he worked as a dishwasher, =
often=20
15 hours a day and, for the first few months, without a day off. =
He said=20
his unit didn't get into any major combat.<BR><BR><FONT=20
face=3DArial><B>Application denied<BR><BR></B></FONT>While he =
was in=20
Afghanistan, his application for conscientious objector status =
was=20
evaluated and denied, he said. Hinzman said he thinks one =
question -=20
Would he defe! nd h! is unit if attacked? - destroyed his =
chances. He=20
said he answered yes, reasoning that he had no choice if he was =
forced=20
to carry a gun.<BR><BR>"I was a little bit too honest, I guess," =
he=20
said.<BR>In July, he returned to Fayetteville, and to his wife, =
Nga=20
Nguyen, and their 14-month-old son, Liam.<BR>"My son, of course, =
was a=20
little bit shy about seeing me, but that went away after a few =
hours,"=20
he said.<BR><BR>He and Nguyen figured it was only a matter of =
time=20
before his unit would go to Iraq. He said he felt the war there =
was=20
unjust and was being fought over oil interests.<BR>"Had we, say, =
gone to=20
war with North Korea or someone that was an imminent threat, I =
would=20
have gone along with it," he said. "I signed up to defend our =
country,=20
not be a pawn in some sort of political ideology."<BR>He began =
to think=20
about his options. And about what he might have to do if he went =
to=20
Iraq.<BR><BR>On Dec. 20, Hinzman found out that his unit would =
be=20
deployed. And on Jan. 2, he packed his ! famil! y into his car =
for the=20
18-hour drive to Canada. The three left at night, on the Friday =
of a=20
four-day weekend. Hinzman's absence wasn't noticed until that =
Monday; he=20
wasn't declared AWOL until the following day.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D-1><BR><FONT =
face=3DArial><B>Support=20
network<BR><BR></B></FONT>Through his philosophical objections =
to the=20
Army, Hinzman has received much support from Quakers in =
Fayetteville and=20
Toronto. He has always been interested in Buddhism, he said, but =
joined=20
the Friends Meeting after he moved to Fayetteville and couldn't =
find a=20
place to worship in the Buddhist faith.<BR>"The Quaker's mode of =
worship=20
was closest to meditation because it's silent," he said. In =
Toronto, the=20
Quakers took Hinzman and his family in while they looked for an=20
apartment, he said.<BR><BR>Ann Ashford, recording clerk at the=20
Fayetteville Friends Meeting, said Hinzman and his wife were =
faithful=20
attendees of the meetings. She said the community supports =
Hinzman, but=20
no one at the meeting knew he was planning to desert.<BR>"We're =
all very=20
concerned about him," she said.<BR><BR>Ashford said Hinzman =
spoke with=20
Chuck Fager, executive director of the Quaker House, a related=20
organization that counsels soldiers who are seeking discharge =
from the=20
military. Fager could not be reached Wednesday but has said in =
an e-mail=20
that calls to the organization's hot line from service members =
and their=20
families last year reached a record total of 6,187, up by 50 =
percent=20
from the year before.<BR><BR>According to the Toronto Globe and =
Mail,=20
Hinzman is believed to be the first U.S. soldier filing for =
refugee=20
status in Canada for refusing duty in Iraq. During the Vietnam =
War, an=20
estimated 30,000 Americans sought refuge in Canada to avoid =
compulsory=20
military service.<BR><BR>Hinzman's chances of receiving refugee =
status=20
are statistically slim: According to Canada's Immigration and =
Refugee=20
Board, none of the 268 American applicants last year was =
accepted. But=20
people who are denied refugee status are not automatically =
deported;=20
they may be granted permission to stay in Canada under other =
provisions,=20
said Charles Hawkins, a spokesman for the board.<BR><BR>Hinzman =
knows=20
that the decisio! ! n will take awhile.<BR>"It's a big drawn-out =
process," he said.<BR>He said that the hardest part has been =
leaving the=20
people in his unit, which is still in Iraq.<BR><BR>"I didn't do =
this out=20
of animosity toward them," he said, "but toward the situation we =
were=20
in."<BR><BR>Staff writer Julia Oliver can be reached =
at</FONT><FONT=20
face=3DArial color=3D#417a60 size=3D-1><B>=20
oliverj@fayettevillenc.com</B></FONT><FONT color=3D#000000 =
size=3D-1> or=20
323-4848, ext. 280.</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
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