European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 10, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                June 2007 stars and stripes Page 3 Minms my to dirty to a Way by Nancy Montgomery stars and stripes Germany want out Chris Capps of the 440th signal battalion after one deployment in Iraq and what he assumed was soon to be another in he went on leave one Day and never came i was a he but Capps want just As most deserters according to the after he turned himself in last month at fort one of two army personnel processing he was out of the army in 3vt Days with an other Hanson Oracle now Hes living in Hanau with his German looking for a Job and protesting the wars he was once a part of Hes lost All Mili tary benefits and said he knows that perhaps of his former company members View him with my family looks at me As an Ive been pretty much Capps but Imok with Capps had done his Homework on How to leave the ing his contract but honouring his he says without having charges brought against he is one of about 110 army Europe soldiers who last year sought guidance from the military counselling want out find get out one of mints fliers Michael a 24yearold mennonite and pacifist from Chi Cago who runs the organization from a cramped office some 10 Miles from Usa eur head Quad said the group provides a necessary service to sol Diers who cant always rely on the army for were a source of inform Sharp were helping group advises against desertion but says it works As a last Chance deserters in the army fiscal year according to the More soldiers deserted in 2001 and 2002 before the Iraq War than in any subsequent and while there has been an increase in desert ers in the last two years last num Ber still constitutes less than 1 percent of the the army desertion can Lead to serious but the majority of the it ends with a less Hanson Oracle discharge but no criminal what happens to Many of the deserters is that they get administratively said Anne an army Edgecomb did not provide statistics on How deserters cases were handled a news report in april citing army statistics said More deserters were facing court martial than in previous but Edgecomb said deserters 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 source army that of deserters out pro ceased at fort where Many army Europe soldiers who desert end 70 percent Are administratively the military counsel ing network near has noted that few sol Diers based in Europe who desert face Crimi Nal As Long As they fall under certain these Are they must not be on a deployment list they must not have pending actions against them under the uni form code of military Justice they have to make it Back to the before 30 when an arrest warrant is issued and they should turn themselves in after 30 Days when Treyve been dropped from their units Rolls to one of two personnel control fort Knox or fort stars and stripes Michael at the said his organization would never encourage anyone to break the Law and but when soldiers ask what happens if they go absent without the Man can Tell them what it Chris had asked Man about what happens when a Soldier goes awol be fore he decided to do it he he had become disillusioned with the military and the effects the War had on iraqis and before he could be deployed to Capps went on flew to the states and stayed in new York City until he knew he had been dropped from his units after Capps his commander had no authority Over Capps turned himself in at fort in fewer than four he was out of the with an  Dis what else Are they going to do with them Sharp what Are they going to use their resources for its a Way for the army to get rid of these Guys without using extensive resources and they have hundreds of soldiers going see desert on Page 4 the military function As its regulations suggest it in the same Way the depart ment of the army has the right to extend a soldiers Active too can some soldiers get out under certain we definitely dont encourage anyone to go absent without leave or do anything but if there what happens if i go awol we can Tell them what we provide a ser vice that hard to argue Sharp said his which offers confidential advice on a variety of discharges 14 types Are listed on the groups web site benefits and has nearly doubled the number of clients this in the network saw eight to 10 new cases now its 15 to he the biggest increase has been in soldiers asking about whats regarded As among the most Princi pled of discharges conscientious from january through last Sharp his office talked with 12 new potential conscientious the same number As in All to be a conscientious objector requires a fixed and sincere objection to participating in War of any form or the bearing of according to defense department the networks most High pro file client was Augustin a medic who was denied conscientious objector deserted just before he was to be sent for a second time to and wound up spending a year in the military confinement Center in Mannheim before being discharged earlier this but most of its cases make no news at sgt Deshawn formerly a human resources specialist with the 64th medical served five years before he was Dis charged As a conscientious objector in he is one of eight cos on the Man web but Little known outside of pacifist in his co posted on the web he wrote that he started questioning whether War accomplished Only death and destruction after taking a european history his beliefs Crystal he after a Friend who had been deployed to Iraq and had come Home on emergency leave because his 12yearold son had told Reed about a con Voy in which hed almost opened fire on a child who turned out to be holding a not a the irony that he almost took a Childs life shortly before return ing Home to realize his own child was dead was not lost on Reed the army asks you if youre willing to die for your but they never ask if youre willing to kill for last 12 Usa eur sol Diers who went to the network qualified for conscientious objector Sta in Sharps seven went through the process and All seven were he see object on Page 4 their words the military counselling network web site features profiles of eight conscientious Many of them have made available copies of their co former Deshawn wrote of a Friend who had been deployed to Iraq and had come Home on emergency leave because his 12yearold son had he told Reed about a Convoy in which he had almost opened fire on a child who turned out to be holding a not a the irony that he almost took a Childs life shortly before returning Home to realize his own child was dead was not lost on Reed wrote in his co the army asks you if youre willing to die for your but they never ask if youre willing to kill for former Vincent la was honorable discharged As a conscientious objector in 2005 with a purple heart earned during his Iraq tour As a 1st armoured Divi Sion combat when he returned to la Volpa wrote on the Man web he thought about his i contemplated the cause and its feeling that the Means was not Worth the Sac Rifice for the Uncertain i Felt that i had to make a he am i for this or am i against it i decided i am against conscientious objectors in army number of soldiers applications for conscientious objector status 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 52 approved 49 approved approved approved 1 29 31 34 33 38 approved 9 33 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 approved disapproved 30 source army stars and stripes