Could He Be The Media’s New Posted Boy?

Hey folks,

I was going through the news of the day so far and found nearly the same as yesterday. Not much. But then I came across this story in the Washington Post. At first I thought this guy is most deserving of the IWA tomorrow, but I found someone that beats him. So I starting thinking a little more about this guy.

Could this guy be the next poster child for the MMD? One, he is anti-war. Two, he’s a soldier, therefore this makes him above reproach. The good old, "If you have never served you cannot talk about it." argument. Three, he is "doing the right thing." He is exercising his First Amendment Right.

Sorry folks, but as far as I’m concerned this is nothing more than a coward and an idiot attempting to make a name for himself.

Washington post- AWOL Soldier Says Army Ignoring Him

"NEW ORLEANS -- A soldier who is again absent without leave said his lawyer has repeatedly tried to speak with the Army about his status but the military is ignoring the subject.

Pvt. Kyle Snyder, 23, a former combat engineer, went AWOL from his Army unit after failing to report to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., on Nov. 1 _ a day after turning himself in after an 18-month AWOL stint. He had fled to Canada in April 2005 while on leave to avoid a second tour in Iraq.

"Legally, I'm AWOL again," Snyder said Friday. "My lawyer has tried to contact Fort Leonard Wood like 75 times _ it's documented, 75 times _ and tried to get in touch with the military. They've avoided this entire subject."

I hope they DO go after this guy. I hope he does receive a court martial. He chose to sign up. He was not drafted, he was not forced to. He chose to. Now because he doesn’t want to do the job he CHOSE, he runs away, not once, but twice. So what is his reason?

"Snyder has said he was put on patrol when sent to Iraq in 2004, which he said he was not trained to do, and that he began to turn against the war when he saw an innocent Iraqi man killed by American gunfire."

So is he saying the American troops killed the man in cold blood? Or was this a cross fire, "collateral damage?" He doesn’t say. Did it even happen?

"Snyder turned himself in on Oct. 31, after his lawyer said he had reached a deal to have Snyder processed back into the Army at Fort Knox in Kentucky and be discharged without a court-martial. However, he went AWOL again a day later. Attorney James Fennerty said the Army wanted to send Snyder back to his original unit at Fort Leonard Wood, where commanders would determine his future."

So let me get this straight. He makes a stupid mistake. Hires a lawyer and cuts a deal to go back without repercussions. Get discharged without court martial. Instead of going through with his end of the deal, he runs away again?

The press may portray this guy for doing what he feels is right. He may get his 15 minutes. But the truth is simply, he is a coward. He should have never signed up in the first place. He does not represent those brave men and women that are there fighting the fight. He should also be made to pay back any pay he received.

"Snyder said the military doesn't chase down people who are absent without leave. "I'm not a rapist, not a murderer, not a child molester. I'm not doing anything negative," he said. "I'm doing what I feel I have to do as a human being.""

No you are just an idiotic coward, that is not worthy of the press you may receive from your cowardly act. People like you make me sick. You joined thinking that you would reap the benefits from our government. Maybe you even thought somehow you would be seen as a hero. But the truth is, when it came right down to the brass tax of you doing your job, you ran away.

The press does indeed love this sort of thing. He may very well be held up as a person with strong convictions, that is doing this to somehow send a message of how bad war is. But the truth is most will see him for who and what he really is. A liar, a coward, and a waste of time. He should get what he deserves. A LONG stint in jail.
Peter