Mejia post...last...other stories to tell...
> There's the time his squad killed a civilian who ran a checkpoint; the
> time they shot a demonstrator. There's the officer who forged orders so he
> could get his unit into combat, and the other officer who broke his own
> ankle to get out of
> combat. There is the father who wasn't allowed temporary leave even though
> his young daughter had been raped. And there is the GI who took shrapnel
> in the head and now can't talk, can't recognize his family and wakes up in
> the middle of the night confused and sobbing.
> Given the politics of the military, it is unlikely that Mejia's serious
> allegations about the conduct of his superiors will be investigated, let
> alone prosecuted, while his own decision of conscience could be treated as
> a criminal matter. "I'd rather do the five to ten years in prison for
> desertion than kill a child by mistake," says Mejia. "When you are getting
> shot at, you shoot back. It doesn't matter if there are civilians around.
> Prison ends, but you never get over killing a kid."
> So far this war has produced only a few AWOL convictions and one
> high-profile asylum case in Canada. Pfc. Jeremy Hinzman of the 82nd
> Airborne is seeking refuge north of the border on the grounds that he is a
> conscientious objector. Marine Reserve Lance Cpl. Stephen Funk also went
> AWOL and claimed conscientious objector status this past April. Funk was
> convicted of being away without leave, demoted, forfeited two-thirds of
> his pay, received a bad-conduct discharge and sent to the brig for six
> months. Mejia, who turned himself in at a press conference on March 15,
> faces five to ten years in prison. Currently Mejia is in Florida with the
> National Guard, awaiting administrative dismissal as a recognized
> conscientious objector or criminal prosecution as a deserter.
> posted 31 march 2004
>
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