US soldier avoiding Iraq ordered to leave Canada

US soldier avoiding Iraq ordered to leave Canada

www.lasvegassun.com

The first woman soldier to flee the U.S. military for Canada to avoid the Iraq war said Wednesday that Canadian authorities have ordered that she be deported this month along with her husband and their children.

Kimberly Rivera said her requests to stay on humanitarian and compassionate grounds were rejected. The family must leave Canada by Jan. 27 unless the order is reversed.

Rivera, a private first class in the Army based at Fort Carson, Colo., served in Iraq in 2006 and came to Canada the following year after she was ordered to serve another tour there. She could be court-martialed when she returns to the U.S. and could face up to five years in prison.

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It looks as if this is becoming an alarming trend. I believe that the US Government should have seen this one coming down the pipe. It makes sense that some of these people (especially soldiers with families of their own, children,etc.) are going AWOL, I am not saying it is right, just that it seems that that would be the natural progression of things if you were forced over and over to continually perform tours of duty in an active and dangerous war zone.

I mean think about it, what are your odds of coming out without any injuries (excluding mental ones of course) after multiple tours of duty in a war torn country, where alot of the time you do not even see your enemy or know what they look like. The military has been falling short of it's recruitment goals for some time now, this is part of the problem.

What are your thoughts?

www.lasvegassun.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Originally posted by desertdreamer

It makes sense that some of these people (especially soldiers with families of their own, children,etc.) are going AWOL, I am not saying it is right, just that it seems that that would be the natural progression of things if you were forced over and over to continually perform tours of duty in an active and dangerous war zone.

She probably knew what the Army was all about. You know, the guns probably gave it away. Maybe if she put a bit more thought into her actions prior to enlisting, she wouldn't be in this position.

Originally posted by desertdreamer
I mean think about it, what are your odds of coming out without any injuries (excluding mental ones of course) after multiple tours of duty in a war torn country, where alot of the time you do not even see your enemy or know what they look like. The military has been falling short of it's recruitment goals for some time now, this is part of the problem.

Probably pretty good. How many guys have been deployed in the AOR? What is the percentage of those guys that are in active combat, and how many have been wounded?

Military recruiting is going up because of the crappy economy at this time.

Well I think its right.

One, she is Canada applying for a Humanitarian Visa, there are much more people in worse situations who need to apply for the Humanitarian Visa, with no valid Visa she is an illegal there so it’s right she should be deported.

Secondly, while she may not want to go to Iraq, she should have thought long and hard before applying to join the military.

I don’t understand these people that join the military (by their own choice) and then complain that they are being sent to war, or complain against the war, I’m sorry but that’s what you signed up for.

She should get whatever the consequences are (even if that means 5 years in prison).

Mikey

I was in the military, I joined young. At the time I did not really process what it actually meant if I had to go to war. I got out 2 weeks before the involuntary extensions were put in place for Desert Shield. I think that there are alot of young people that are out there that decide that going into the military is a good idea, for college money mostly. I guarantee you that the recruiter does not talk to you about the horrors of war and what you are in store for, especially if you go in there talking about the college programs that they offer you. The recruiter is going to do what it takes to get you in. I believe that the real issue here is not that people are dumb about what they have gotten themselves into so much as it is about multiple tours of duty with little time off in between due to the lack of troops available. Nice comments, keep em coming!

I don't. I fully support her right to not participate further in the war machine for the cabal, not bring home DU contamination if she survives and raise her family.
People are free and sovereign, not slaves.

Like many, she probably didn't realize what it was all about. A friend of mine is a medic and a Major in the U.S. Army reserves. He's been trying to resign for years after his first tour. After the U.S. was ordered to level Falujah, he had had enough not wanting any involvement with an army involved in war crimes. He's been back since and has done his best to help his unit as well as the Iraqis. He's made night time raids with some of his friends to rescue injured Iraqi civilians. He's been chastised for providing decent care to Iraqi fighters.

reply to post by Mikey84


Thanks for saying it.I agree these people join the military and then get pissed off because its crappy.What did they think it was gonna be??
She joined and has to deal with the choices she has made.
I bet she got the college education she wanted tho.
Not trying to be insensitive but I chose a different job and ask for no sympathy from the choices I made even tho I hate it.

She signed on the dotted line - perhaps a little more thought should of gone into that decision. Sorry but that's a truth.

Exactly.

She joined and signed up to an agreement to a certain amount of years and service, she belongs to them for that term.

It’s the same with most other aspects of life, you sign a contract for your job, or you sign a lease for an apartment, should you break those agreements you then face consequences.

Why should this be any different?

Mikey


[edit on 7/1/2009 by Mikey84]

Many here in Canada, including myself, believe she must be returned to face whatever fate she has made for herself. Follow the link below to todays' story in the Globe and Mail, and read the comments attached to it. While unfortunate, the fact that she is female and now has a Canadian born infant is of no consequence IMHO

She must get the boot, now.

www.theglobeandmail.com...

Originally posted by mystiq

People are free and sovereign, not slaves.

You're right. And she made a choice of her own free will, and now she's backing out of that contract.

So let me ask all of you this question.

How many tours of duty is acceptable for any one soldier? Where is the line drawn?

Originally posted by desertdreamer
How many tours of duty is acceptable for any one soldier? Where is the line drawn?

Well, during WW2, it was "duration of the emergency, plus six months".

ok, shes been there, now they send her again, with a child, to same hell hole and you all expect her to go like its some walk in the park. Shes already been there... shes a woman and a mother, so I'm with her... prison will suit her just fine. She just doesnt want to go to iraq so she wont go either way.

Now considering all the facts, I dont think how can you all be against this woman for trying to stay alive for her family and son.

Why dont some of you offer to go in her place instead of having your fat chicken butts behind the computer how dare you insult someone who has been through an already "probably" awful war experience and judge her like that?

Please, grow a heart.

reply to post by MilitieTempliSalmo



This is exactly my thinking. I believe if she has already been once and served her tour, she should not have to go back. Even though I am former military, and I know there are those of you out there that are of the mindset "she signed up, just do what you are asked", I think if we were all put in this situation we would be thinking a little bit differently. Mil, I really liked your suggestion for someone to step up and offer to take her place, but we all know that is not how the military works, but point well taken. I have not seen anyone on here post anything like that.

Another question, how many of you that are responding to this thread are vets?

Originally posted by desertdreamer
So let me ask all of you this question.

How many tours of duty is acceptable for any one soldier? Where is the line drawn?

However many is needed in the term they signed up for. I don’t know what the standard leinght to sign up for is in the USA (how many years, 3? 6?).

Everyone knows these things when joining the military, regardless of how dumb they may be or what the recruiter didn’t tell them, everyone knows the military is for defending the country should the need arise and you may have to go to war, everyone knows you have to agree to a certain term.

Your job is to defend the country, you could be in the military for 6 years and not even see gun fire, you could be in it 6 months and be shipped off to battle... that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

I can understand people running off if they were conscripted, but this is not the case.

Maybe they should do what they do in a lot of European countries, once you finish high school you do a year in the military (you don’t go to war) and then after that you go to University – it gives everyone a taste of military life but they don’t have to commit to anything long term, not to mention would give them great life skills.

Mikey

reply to post by desertdreamer


I'm ex AF.

Yes I know its not how the armed forces work but, like you said... it was just a suggestion to all those inquisition finger pointing arm-chair generals up there...

Originally posted by MilitieTempliSalmo

Why don’t some of you offer to go in her place instead of having your fat chicken butts behind the computer how dare you insult someone who has been through an already "probably" awful war experience and judge her like that?

Why? You see we all have free will, and we all made a choice NOT to join the military, just like she made a choice to join.

I want to be a pilot, pilot lessons are expensive and it takes a lot of time to save for it, my easy option – join the Air Force and get it all paid for, why didn’t I join? Because they wanted a 6 year commitment, I made a choice that I could not commit for 6 years to the military and I like the freedom to move around, different countries etc. I made a choice.

She made a choice to join the military for whatever reason, if she doesn’t want to stand by her choices and agreements she made then she has to face consequences. That’s the way it works.

Just a question on the US Military, do you have a “buy out option” I know over here in Australia and in Ireland if you want to get out before your agreement is up, that’s fine but you have to pay back all the costs used on you so far (usually several several thousands) does the USA have something like that?

I have a heart, but in the case she was not forced to join, she used her free will to do so.

Mikey


[edit on 7/1/2009 by Mikey84]

I think that she did the right thing. Her place is with her children... not thousands of miles away in the line of fire. I hope that she will be shown mercy, but in this world, mercy seems to be a fleeting part of the "justice" system... which w/out mercy, labeling the system "justice" is .