[Shasown]

A soldier has been jailed by court martial after refusing to fight in Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton went absent without leave (AWOL) rather than serve a second tour in the country. He later campaigned against the conflict.

The 27-year-old was jailed for nine months and reduced to the ranks at a military court in Colchester, Essex, after admitting the AWOL charge.

The court martial hearing was told that Glenton went missing on June 11, 2007, when he was due to return to Dalton Barracks in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

He was absent for 737 days before handing himself in, prosecutor Group Captain Tim Backer said.

Glenton, from York, had already performed a seven-month tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2006 serving with the Royal Logistic Corps, the hearing was told.

On his return, he was ordered to go back to the conflict zone after nine months, although army guidelines suggest soldiers should not be deployed again within 18 months.

Nick Wrack, speaking in mitigation, said Glenton suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after his first stint in the war zone.

When the soldier raised concerns about going back out, he suffered bullying, Mr Wrack said.

"When he first raised with his staff sergeant his reluctance to be deployed again, instead of being dealt with in a sensible way it resulted in the sergeant at the time bullying and intimidating Lance Corporal Glenton," said Mr Wrack.

"He was called a coward and a malingerer.

"When this information was brought to his commanding officer, the sergeant was spoken to, but this reinforced the bullying."

Glenton was the first serving member of the armed forces to have headed up an anti-war demonstration since the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001.


Courtesy of Sky News.

[arista]

Wasted Money.

[ILoveTRW]

Reminds me of Ryan from The Real World Brooklyn

he got called back whilst being filmed, he had planned to go to college after he left brooklyn but had to drop it all to go and serve in iraq for a war he didnt believe in
heartbreaking

[Tom4784]

I don't blame him in the slightest this war's ridiculous and pointless and we should have never got involved nevermind still have soldiers there so many years afterwards.

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

I don't blame him in the slightest this war's ridiculous and pointless and we should have never got involved nevermind still have soldiers there so many years afterwards.

Not exactly pointless;

It allowed the US and UK to be seen to be doing something after the terrorist strikes on the twin Towers etc.

It also turned peoples focus on overseas affairs as opposed to problems at home.

Plus it now provides US forces more overseas bases to jump from, into other countries should future US foreign policy dictate.

[WOMBAI]

Originally Posted by Shasown

Not exactly pointless;

It allowed the US and UK to be seen to be doing something after the terrorist strikes on the twin Towers etc.

It also turned peoples focus on overseas affairs as opposed to problems at home.

Plus it now provides US forces more overseas bases to jump from, into other countries should future US foreign policy dictate.

Dishonest, manipulative morally pointless reasons - that do not justify the loss of all the soldiers' lives - a complete manipulative sham!

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by WOMBAI

Dishonest, manipulative morally pointless reasons - that do not justify the loss of all the soldiers' lives - a complete manipulative sham!

PMSL of course they are, thats why i posted them. I did not say they were legitimate military legal aims. Just that there was were several points to the invasion of Afghanistan.

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Shasown

Not exactly pointless;

It allowed the US and UK to be seen to be doing something after the terrorist strikes on the twin Towers etc.

It also turned peoples focus on overseas affairs as opposed to problems at home.

Plus it now provides US forces more overseas bases to jump from, into other countries should future US foreign policy dictate.

Is the loss of life worth it though? We've lost hundreds of soldiers and MANY innocent Iraqi lives have been lost, granted that we've taken out Saddam Hussein but now the country's in a state of unrest with groups fighting against democracy. more lives are gonna be lost and that'll only lead to more anger that terrorist groups can use to manipulate people into joining them.

My knowledge of the matter's probably not as good as yours but to me it just feels like a massive waste of life on both sides.

[WOMBAI]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

I don't blame him in the slightest this war's ridiculous and pointless and we should have never got involved nevermind still have soldiers there so many years afterwards.

Completely agree! I applaud this soldier for having the guts to stand up and refuse to go! In many ways that is equally as brave as going to Afghanistan, bearing in mind the trouble he was going to get into and the stick he was likely to receive from many.

The soldiers shouldn't be there - isn't it bad enough that we have lost so many in the name of such a pointless war - nevermind adding to the total by continuing to keep them there!

[arista]

What he said outside the Court
was Bang On Right.

They are not out there Protecting UK
It is a Illegal Invasion War.

[Stu]

Fair play to him. Sending him to prison for not participating in a 'freedom' war? What fucking irony.

[bananarama]

Originally Posted by Judas Iscariot

Fair play to him. Sending him to prison for not participating in a 'freedom' war? What fucking irony.

Troops cannot be allowed to pick which war they agree with or not..That would lead to chaos.......He should be booted out and or jailed for life as an example of being a traitor and coward.....

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by bananarama

Troops cannot be allowed to pick which war they agree with or not..That would lead to chaos.......He should be booted out and or jailed for life as an example of being a traitor and coward.....

Ever heard of Post Traumatic Stress? It's easy to brand someone a coward when you're not there yourself.

[bananarama]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

Ever heard of Post Traumatic Stress? It's easy to brand someone a coward when you're not there yourself.

Sure have but some use it as an excuse to pick and choose and get political..service men by the nature of their job should not get political and judgmental about what war is right or wrong........They should get on with the job or get out........

This character is a a coward and years ago they would have shot him.......Time to put the clock back......

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by bananarama

Sure have but some use it as an excuse to pick and choose and get political..service men by the nature of their job should not get political and judgmental about what war is right or wrong........They should get on with the job or get out........

This character is a a coward and years ago they would have shot him.......Time to put the clock back......

They called PTS cowardice back then, It was ignorant then and it's ignorant now. Unless you are this man's personal doctor then you can't dispute that he had PTS. It's oh so easy to condemn people behind a computer screen isn't it? You'd be singing a different tune if you experienced what that man has experienced. You wouldn't be so eager for blood then.

[BB_Eye]

Originally Posted by bananarama

Sure have but some use it as an excuse to pick and choose and get political..service men by the nature of their job should not get political and judgmental about what war is right or wrong........They should get on with the job or get out........

This character is a a coward and years ago they would have shot him.......Time to put the clock back......

But he did get out and then got called back... unlawfully.

[WOMBAI]

Originally Posted by bananarama

Troops cannot be allowed to pick which war they agree with or not..That would lead to chaos.......He should be booted out and or jailed for life as an example of being a traitor and coward.....

What total bull****e! No way could he be considered a coward as he had already done one tour of duty in Afghanistan. They were trying to send him back too soon - they were breaking rules themselves. There is also the possibility he was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress - a recognised and legitamate medical condition often experienced by soldiers facing such traumatic experiences. The ignorance and arrogance of any civilian who has never been in such a position - to sit in judgement of someone else - how could they possibly understand?

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by WOMBAI

What total bull****e! No way could he be considered a coward as he had already done one tour of duty in Afghanistan. They were trying to send him back too soon - they were breaking rules themselves. There is also the possibility he was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress - a recognised and legitamate medical condition often experienced by soldiers facing such traumatic experiences. The ignorance and arrogance of any civilian who has never been in such a position - to sit in judgement of someone else - how could they possibly understand?

They werent breaking rules, just general guidelines, however said guidelines may have to be set to one side, and often are, for operational commitments, if he didnt go someone else still needed to do his job, his post still had to be manned so its quite possible someone who had had even less time back in the UK would have been stiffed at short notice to fill it.

Bearing in mind he isnt front line he was a loggie (Royal Logistics Corps) so it wasnt as if he was engaged in combat as per the infantry, thats who the 18 month guideline was actually intended for.

Something to do with overcommitting UK forces while trimming and slimming front line numbers.

[WOMBAI]

Originally Posted by Shasown

They werent breaking rules, just general guidelines, however said guidelines may have to be set to one side, and often are, for operational commitments, if he didnt go someone else still needed to do his job, his post still had to be manned so its quite possible someone who had had even less time back in the UK would have been stiffed at short notice to fill it.

Bearing in mind he isnt front line he was a loggie (Royal Logistics Corps) so it wasnt as if he was engaged in combat as per the infantry, thats who the 18 month guideline was actually intended for.

Something to do with overcommitting UK forces while trimming and slimming front line numbers.

In the eyes of many none of the soldiers should be there! This is not a legitimate war - and the army has no right to force soldiers to risk their lives for a cause other than to protect their own country, citizens or way of life - especially bearing in mind they do not provide the best protection and equipment money can buy! They have proved they care little about the lives of the soldiers, why the hell should the soldiers give a damn about their rules and regulations?

[bananarama]

Originally Posted by WOMBAI

What total bull****e! No way could he be considered a coward as he had already done one tour of duty in Afghanistan. They were trying to send him back too soon - they were breaking rules themselves. There is also the possibility he was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress - a recognised and legitamate medical condition often experienced by soldiers facing such traumatic experiences. The ignorance and arrogance of any civilian who has never been in such a position - to sit in judgement of someone else - how could they possibly understand?

Bull **** its the forces not a children party..You fight when told. The forces have to maintain diciplin and power over its troops or chaos would result........This mamby pamby mentality is dangerous to any nation.....

[Shasown]

No they sent him to prison for being absent without leave,(AWOL) thats different than being charged with failing to comply with orders, or desertion. If they had charged him with failing to comply with orders or desrtion he could have a case to appeal, challenging the legality of operations in Afghanistan and take it all the way through the UK courts up through the House of Lords and then into Europe.

Its a minor point but are the MOD admitting the war is actually illegal? Though they do justify military action under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 and UN Security Council Resolution 1386 for the invasion of Afghanistan and operations undertaken there since 2001.

[*mazedsalv**]

I dont get it... does that mean that you need to be in the war until it ends....?

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by *mazedsalv**

I dont get it... does that mean that you need to be in the war until it ends....?

Well if the US and the UK pulled out there would be no war and the Taliban would move back in and take control of the country again, meaning the invasion and all the losses since were in vain.

[*mazedsalv**]

Originally Posted by Shasown

Well if the US and the UK pulled out there would be no war and the Taliban would move back in and take control of the country again, meaning the invasion and all the losses since were in vain.

Basically its either fight it out and survive until the end (which can be a long way away) or you will get killed... that is horrible Not only are the hero's fighting for the country but they are fighting to see their family and their partners, as the last visit could have been the last time they saw a family member
I swear, I dont even remember what the war even is about? We need to reach a mutual agreement, we are losing too many soldiers and I think if someone wants to back out for any reason (could be a valid one) then they should be able to... but this is me talking even though I dont understand exactly what is going on.

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by *mazedsalv**

Basically its either fight it out and survive until the end (which can be a long way away) or you will get killed... that is horrible Not only are the hero's fighting for the country but they are fighting to see their family and their partners, as the last visit could have been the last time they saw a family member
I swear, I dont even remember what the war even is about? We need to reach a mutual agreement, we are losing too many soldiers and I think if someone wants to back out for any reason (could be a valid one) then they should be able to... but this is me talking even though I dont understand exactly what is going on.

Lol if only things could be that simple, unfortunately he joined up. In doing so you sign over certain rights, for the training, the wage, the adventure, the mates, the camaraderie, visiting exotic lands and either killing or being killed by some of the locals.