| MND COMMENTARY |
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December 13, 2004 by Jim Manion Private Jeremy Hinzman deserted from Fort Bragg just as his unit, the 82nd Airborne Division, was ready to ship our for duty in Iraq. Hinzman fled to Canada where he is attempting to claim status as a refugee. His claim was heard by the Canadian government and Hinzman is probably going to appeal any adverse decision. Hinzman's version of his story has been reported across the world. He uses his belief that the War in Iraq is immoral and illegal as the basis for his refusal to "be killed or kill innocent people". Hinzman has become a darling of the left and those in Islamic states who see him as a hero. While Hinzman has garnered a lot of sympathy and support, he has one major problem - he can't shut up. And his gift of gab provides a wealth of evidence regarding his true motives in leaving his comrades behind: Jeremy Hinzman is a coward and a traitor. As is the case with all of our soldiers and sailors, Hinzman volunteered for active duty. On his website - yes, the first US Army Deserter to have a website - he notes that after his graduation from high school in 1996, he spent the next 4 years as a baker, but he was too "incompetent" to make a living at it. In 1998 he began a relationship with his wife, Nga Nguyuen. In 2000, the lovebirds moved to Boston, MA. In January of 2001 Jeremy and Nga were married, and "a few days later", Jeremy was off to Fort Benning, GA for basic training, infantry school and airborne school. There is no information as to exactly when Hinzman enlisted, but it was undoubtedly before his marriage. Continuing on the Deserter's website, Hinzman says that he and his spouse started attending Quaker studies with a Quaker group in January of 2002. Hinzman wants the world to believe that his Quaker experience changed his vision of the military. However, Jeremy just can't seem to keep his story straight. Hinzman claims that he began having doubts during basic training. "'About five weeks into basic training, we were on our way to the chow hall shouting 'trained to kill, kill we will.' We were threatened with push-ups because we were not showing enough enthusiasm. "I found myself hoarse yelling this and, when I looked around me, I saw that most of my colleagues were red in the face, but totally engrossed." Then he understood that the military was not just training him to kill, but "to kill with a smile on my face." He had to get out." Interesting. Basic training is 6 weeks long. That is followed by another stint for training in a new soldiers occupational specialty. Hinzman noted that his entire stint was at Fort Benning. That would makes his occupational specialty infantry. At Fort Benning, those with infantry specialties spend a total of 14 weeks with the Infantry Training Brigade. Infantry training teaches a soldier to kill the enemy, defend his Country, obey orders and protect his comrades. It is no secret that Infantry soldiers kill people. In wartime, as many as they can. It is interesting that he did not request becoming a medic or clerk typist during his time at Fort Benning. So Hinzman spent the last 9 weeks in ITB thinking he had to get out? Basic is where you are essentially allowed to wash out. Hinzman kept going for the full 14 weeks, despite knowing he had to get out. After his 14 weeks of infantry school, he spent another 3 weeks at Airborne School. That is 17 weeks, over 4 months of school, and Hinzman claims that he knew he had to get out and yet did nothing for the next 3 months? Perhaps his discussions with the press regarding his motive for enlisting will shed some light on the situation: Hinzman told the Fayetteville Observer by phone that the socialist structure of the military appealed to him - he liked the subsidized housing and groceries and, at the end of his service, the money for college. "It seemed like a good financial decision," he said, adding, "I had a romantic vision of what the army was.' " What? Nothing about giving something back to preserve the freedoms we enjoy, nothing about a call to duty. His motives were all about what he could take from this Country, not what he could give back. Ask not what you can do for your country, but ask what your country can do for Hinzman. While the military takes care of its own, I would never in my wildest dreams compare it with a kibbutz or a farming collective. We take care of our own because we depend on our own to honor our oath to protect and defend. So 17 weeks of school puts Hinzman's arrival at Fort Bragg for duty with the 82nd Airborne Division at around the first of June, 2001. Despite knowing that he had to get out, he continues to serve without objection, reaping the "socialist" benefits of the US Army. Hinzman claims he began getting religion in January 2002 when he and his wife started attending a Quaker Studies group. His son was born in May of 2002. Hinzman said he turned in his first application to be a conscientious objector in August 2002, saying he wanted to fulfill his service obligation but not to participate in combat. He claims this was before he received deployment orders to Afghanistan. The interesting thing is that the 82nd began to deploy to Afghanistan prior to May of 2002. His conscientious objector claim was reviewed by the Army while Hinzman was in Afghanistan. His CO application was denied because Hinzman testified that he would certainly be able to kill the enemy in a defensive battle, he was just opposed to offensive operations. To be granted CO status, one must be opposed to killing in any form. Period. The Army correctly denied his application. He was moved to non combat duty anyway in the mess hall. Hinzman alludes to this as being some form of retaliation. The truth is that returning him to combat status would have risked the lives of those around him, and that there are few other jobs in a forward area for which he was qualified. Following his return to Fort Bragg, Hinzman resumed reaping the benefits of military service. On Dec. 20, 2003, Hinzman found out that his unit would be deployed to Iraq. On Jan. 2 - a Friday, the start of a four-day weekend - he packed his wife and 14-month-old son, Liam, into their car for the 18-hour drive to Canada. There are a few omissions from Hinzman's version of events. He joined the Army at a time of relative calm. And he was living fat and happy on the dole until September 11, 2001. The more likely scenario is that Hinzman's yellow streak started to show when it became apparent that we were at war. And it would become more apparent that as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, he would definitely see combat. Better start building your alibi quickly. There Quakers were his cover. The 82nd started deploying troops to Afghanistan and had boots on the ground by May of 2002. It would have been abundantly clear at that point whether other units within the 82nd were going to deploy, and it would have been common knowledge around base. Hinzman did not get around to getting his CO application in until August of 2002, over 3 months after the 82nd began its deployment. He claims the Army told him they lost the application but he later found it in his personnel file. A unit about to participate in a major overseas deployment is a 24 hour, 7 days a week, exercise in organized chaos. It may be that the Army misfiled his CO application, but so what? The result would have been the same - it would have been denied. After Afghanistan, he had a good look at what it is like "in theater", and he did not like it. But when he arrived back in the US, he never tried to revive his CO application or to apply for non combat duties. And why should he, being back on the government dole making Uncle Sam honor his end of the deal. When he received his deployment orders for Iraq, his back turned caution tape yellow. He deserted his post and snuck across the Canadian border. Once in Canada, Hinzman did something profoundly stupid. He hired a lawyer, got a publicist, started a web site and began bashing the US and his comrades as war criminals. Apparently, no one advised PVT Hinzman that even though he was AWOL and classified as a deserter, the Army still considered him to be in the Army. Anything you say is still subject to the rules laid out by the military, and can and will be used against you at your Courts Martial. In another in your face move, Hinzman hired a Canadian lawyer who happens to be a Vietnam draft dodger. Hinzman's lawyer, Jeffry House, slithered across the Wisconsin border over 30 years ago leaving his country forever. House is no fan of the United States, the Bush Administration or the war in Iraq. Hinzman's PR firm is another "screw the US" move. The firm, Lefty Lucy Communications, is run by Audra Williams, who is in the running to be the modern day Tokyo Rose. Lefty Lucy quickly moved to create a website and formed an alliance with Michael Moore, who features the Hinzman story on his website. I wonder why this did not come out during the US Presidential election, but it is out now. Just when I thought Michael Moore could not get any lower, he rallies behind the cause of a deserter. Lefty Lucy has been on a tear. LL has made Hinzman's case a darling of Al Jezeerah . Ms, Williams (a.k.a. "Toronto Rose") clinched Hinzman an interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN . That interview produced the following interesting exchange: COOPER: Jeremy, you talk about morality, though. You did sign a contract. You did know what the Army was about when you signed that contract. You took an oath to defend the Constitution, and you promised to obey orders. You were ordered to go to Iraq, and you broke that contract. HINZMAN: I did. You said it well. I signed a contract to defend the Constitution, not conquer the world. So... COOPER: But do you get to -- what gives you the right, a lot of people would argue, to pick and choose? Soldiers traditionally aren't able to do that. If soldiers did that, there would be no discipline, there would be no following orders. HINZMAN: No, there wouldn't. But just a second. I'm choking up. But when I signed the contract to join the Army, I didn't sign away my ability to have a free will and to be a moral being. And taking part in a preemptive war that fits no criteria for just wars, I mean, I would be no different than a Nazi soldier who served for... COOPER: Why did you sign up to the Army? I mean, you knew it was a military organization. Was it simply that you wanted money for college? HINZMAN: It was for practical reasons. Yes, it was for practical reasons. The Army has a good marketing department. It seemed like a good practical move at the time. But Toronto Rose was in overdrive. On September 14, 2004, Toronto Rose got Hinzman a gig on Islamonline. That online question and answer session garnered Hinzman rock star status in the terrorist world. So much so that his participation would almost certainly be considered providing aid and comfort to the enemy. Desertion is a serious offense. Treason is also a serious offense. And his statements at his hearing for refugee status bolster a case for treason. I will not bore you with all of the details, but one of the reasons Hinzman advanced for his desertion was that he did not want to "kill babies". Jeremy Hinzman is a man without honor. Jeremy Hinzman deserted his post, leaving that post to be filled by another soldier who may die serving his country. Jeremy Hinzman is a Coward. When the events of 9/11 made it obvious he would have to be the soldier he swore to be, he began the process of creating his alibi. Jeremy Hinzman is a thief, reaping the benefits of a contract he signed under oath while knowing he would never uphold his end of the bargain. Jeremy Hinzman is a liar, and has no shame in calling his comrades war criminals. Jeremy Hinzman is a traitor, providing aid and comfort to our enemies. I would like to introduce Private Jeremy Hinzman to Private Eddie Slovik. On January 31, 1945, Private Slovik became the only soldier in the 20th Century to be executed by desertion. What undoubtedly sealed Slovik's fate was his lack of repentance for his act and his total abandonment of his fellow soldiers by his focus on his needs. Private Hinzman has created am impressive record concerning his utter lack of remorse and his callous disregard for his fellow soldiers. Private Hinzman has a few up on Private Slovik, however; he has made statements which, in and of themselves, would subject him to a Courts Martial. And, he has become a willing cog in the enemy's propaganda machine. Eddie Slovik never made public broadcasts for Adolph Hitler. Hinzman could have gone AWOL and then turned himself in the the Army. It is almost a certainty that Hinzman would have gotten a year in prison with a dishonorable discharge. Hinzman has raised the price of poker by his subsequent conduct. Let's hope that the Canadian Government can distinguish between a refugee and a sniveling coward. And send our boy home. Additional references: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0221-02.htm
Jim Manion is a freelance writer, and a retired Major in the US Army Reserves Military Police Corps, and is an Honors Graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Mr. Manion now runs a small business in the heartland after practicing law for 24 years. |
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