8,000 US Soldiers Went AWOL Since War In Iraq

The Pentagon admitted in 2004 that some 6,000 soldiers went AWOL. In the meantime this number increased, and many seek help in Germany.

Sergeant Kevin Benderman decided, upon returning from Iraq, to object service to the USA army on the grounds of conscience and demand to be relieved of war service. A reply followed shortly. He was accused of being a deserter and, after two trials, sentenced to 15 months in prison. In addition, he was dishonourably discharged from the army.

I personally found out war destroys everything that is good in the world. It turns young people into remorseless killers and we tell them they are heroes if they perfect themselves in the art of killing. This is absolutely nonsensical. It destroys the environment, life and resources which could be used to create a better world, Kevin Benderman said in an attempt to explain why he refused to return to war.

Around 8,000 deserters

Kevin Benderman is not the only one. It is estimated that around 8,000 young men have deserted from the US army since the beginning of the war in Iraq. The Pentagon admitted in 2004 there were around 6,000 of them, but experts estimate the number has increased in the meantime.

One of the destinations where American deserters seek refuge is Germany. Many US soldiers are still stationed in this country and when the order for departure to Iraq arrives, many of them simply play deaf and disappear. German Evangelist priest Karl ter Horst helps them with their search of secure accommodation.

Since 2003 I have publicly been offering help to soldiers who do not want to go to war. My father was in the war and came back badly hurt. He brought us up to be pacifists, and my religion says that each man has the right to change his mind. This goes for soldiers as well, says priest Horst.

The Evangelist priest has built a network to help the soldiers. Horst explains how the existence of the network is hidden from the public due to the safety of deserters.

There are security systems. I know families who give refuge to soldiers but these families must know other families who will also give refuge. The important thing is I do not know these other families or where the soldiers are, he says.

Regular refusal of war service in theory only

There is a possibility to refuse war service in the US army but the chances for exemption are extremely slim. The council which approves the demand for exclusion is consisted of an officer, a psychiatrist and a religious representative (priest, rabbi etc.). The procedure can last up to a year and the decision is still left to a higher instance.

If the army does not approve the demand for the exclusion of war service and the soldier still does not answer the summons, the consequences are harsh. With an average penalty of nine months of hard labour for soldiers, a dishonourable discharge from the army follows. This gives way to much serious consequences. A dishonourable discharge is entered in the soldier’s dossier and so the former soldier has not got a chance of finding civilian work.

After serving their sentence, the young men who just did not wish to kill or be killed usually end up impoverished, says priest Horst, adding how he, in spite of that, consciously invites soldiers to refuse war service.

Problems with American and German authorities

Karl ter Horst’s undertaking might lead to legal consequences. He is encouraged by the case of Walter Jens, a writer who gave refuge to an American deserter during the first Gulf war and was charged, but acquitted. This case might serve as a precedent. Although he has not had any conflicts with American or German authorities, Horst remains careful. He does not travel to America because he believes the police over there would take him into custody at the airport already.

I must assume that my telephone is tapped, which is why I would never speak with the soldiers over the telephone, he said

Associations for deserter help

But, Horst is not the only one helping the soldiers. A military counselling network is a US organisation. It mostly gives legal help to deserters, and has its branch-office, the Connection e.V., in Germany.

Still, the Americans will not remain priest Horst’s only concern. A few German soldiers have contacted him lately who do not want to go off to war in Afghanistan.

Crime or punishment

Kevin Benderman is not the only soldier who does not want to return to Iraq. A similar example is one of Darrel Anderson, a soldier who spent seven months in Baghdad. He became witness to war crimes there and does not want to go back at any cost.

One soldier proudly told how he and his men would beat prisoners to death, Anderson says to the German ZDF.

When he returned to the USA to visit his mother in Kentucky, Anderson decided to  go AWOL and flee to Canada. He applied for asylum, but it was not approved. Afterwards, he married a Canadian citizen, hoping he would not be extradited to the USA.

Soldier Augustine Aguayo`s example is similar. The young man was stationed in Germany and when the order for Iraq came, he refused to go.

His superiors even threatened that he would be hand-cuffed and brought to Iraq. He refused and his only option to avoid the departure was to hide. He jumped through the window and escaped, his wife Helga Aguayo explains to ZDF. Still, Aguayo decided to end his flight and surrender to the army. He is facing up to five years in prison.

Pardon to deserters

During the war in Vietnam, 200,000 soldiers deserted from the USA army. All of them were pardoned subsequently and did not suffer any consequences. Still, the USA did not engage a professional army at that time, so deserters were mostly young men taken to war by force. The situation is different with war in Iraq because all the young men who deserted were professional soldiers who accepted the risk of going to war.