Remember THIS guy?
April 05, 2011 Agence France-Presse
Germany has denied asylum to Andre Shepherd, a former US Soldier who deserted his unit in Iraq citing opposition to the war, a spokesman for the federal office for migration and refugees said on Tuesday.
"The asylum claim was rejected because there is no evidence to suggest that the asylum seeker could have been involved in war crimes or other crimes during another posting to Iraq," the office said in a statement.
"He could not cite any concrete crimes his unit committed during his first tour. In addition, as a helicopter mechanic, he was not in danger of becoming involved in fighting and therefore in possible crimes," added the office.
Shepherd, 33, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, walked off his base in southern Germany in 2007 and spent 19 months on the run before applying for asylum.
Before then, he had completed a five-month stint in Iraq between September 2004 and February 2005 where he serviced Apache helicopters as part of the 412th Aviation Support Battalion.
When ordered back to Iraq, he felt he could not continue to take part in what he said was a "completely illegal war" and became the first US Soldier to claim asylum in Germany.
His lawyer, Reinhard Marx, said his client would likely contest the decision but that a forced return to the United States was "out of the question."
"He has married a woman with German nationality, so he has a residence permit. This is about whether the German authorities accept his status as a refugee," Marx told AFP.
This is a good first step - too bad it took two years. Now, for our laws and our oaths of military obligation to have any meaning whatsoever, Andre Shepard must be tried for desertion during wartime. American forces defended Germany for over fifty years - we stared down the Soviet Red Army at Checkpoint Charlie, we did the Berlin Airlift, and we called out the Communists at the Wall, provided moral support and more, until at last that wall came down and Germany was unified once more - and all the while Germany's economy benefited from not having to maintain a huge defense budget. The least Germany can do now is to extradite this piece of excrement so he can face the consequences of his actions. Otherwise, NATO is a joke and Germany will share the same shameful status as Canada during the Vietnam conflict - refuge for deserters.
- SEAN LINNANE SENDS
"Footprint of the American Chicken"
.
... tried as a deserter during wartime and shot. Period.
ReplyDeleteChuck's right.
ReplyDeleteAnd as a native Clevelander, this POS brings (more) shame to my home town.
As a thought exercise, what are the proper and legal options for a slodier who does actually come to believe a war is illegal, immoral, etc? Begin to wonder, too, what this guy's thinking is - what was the process by which he came to his conclusions? Or did he just decide to run out for some Kraut nookie?
ReplyDeleteLove the "he is married to a woman with German nationality" NOT "He is married to a German". Any bets on the bashful brides nation-of-origin? Further bets on whether she wears a hijab?
ReplyDeleteBoat Guy
Well we don't know the whole story though Pat. He probably grew up in a single parent rat and roach infested apartment. For entertainment since they didn't have electricity they would make zip guns and trick or treat around the hood all year. He would have continued down this path if it were not for his neighbor down the hall that sold drugs and always had crack whores hanging around. And his mother just thought it was the washing machine out of balance, all that banging on the walls....Of course it was his drug dealing neighbors gay cousin that really got him out of there and into the film industry (what we call porn). He lasted for a while there but fucking midgets just wasn't his thing so he decided to join the military and maybe have a shot at one of those hot burka chicks. At least you hoped it was a chick when you unwrapped it. Our boy here got hold of one that turned out to be a guy with 30 pounds of C4 strapped around him. The kid freaked out and went to Germany. He was damaged from the start and didn't have a chance.... God I am so full of shit... Don't prosecute him. Just send him back to the lines. He will be the first casualty in his unit. End of problem...
ReplyDeleteProsecute, with extreme prejudice.
ReplyDeleteLet POTUS pardon him after he's been convicted...