I found a very interesting Associated Press Article about serving US military who are trying for Honorable Discharge based upon there “moral objections” to the war.

Agustin Aguayo, who enlisted in 2002 during the lead-up to the Iraq war, is asking the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to release him from a military prison. It is believed to be the first federal appeal in a conscientious-objector case during the Iraq war.

Aguayo, who is being held in a U.S. prison in Germany after going absent without leave, said he enlisted as a way to earn money for his education. Though military operations in Afghanistan were under way and discussions about Iraq were ongoing, he said he never considered that he’d have to fight.

This guy must not be the brightest candle in the sconce. He enlists, after the war on Terror was declared and reserve troops where being called up, and then decides he is against the war only after he was deployed to Iraq. Finding one’s self in an all volunteer army when you have such deep seated objection to war is, frankly, your own dumb fault.

Fortunately the court agrees.

Judge A. Raymond Randolph, one of three judges on the case, said during the hearing yesterday that he’d been reading up on the Vietnam appeals and asked how the case differs from those filed decades ago by people who realized their opposition to war only after receiving a draft card.

[…]

In a statement submitted to the court and released on a Web site dedicated to his cause, Aguayo said he is being guided by his principles.

“My beliefs and morals come from a transformation as a direct result of my combined religious/family upbringing, military experience, and new experiences I’ve created and sought,” he said.

The government argued — and a federal judge in August agreed — that Aguayo’s religious beliefs existed when he enlisted. A soldier may not hide his beliefs to obtain military benefits, then use them as a way to get out of service, the court said.

[…]

Attorneys also noted that Aguayo applied as a conscientious objector only after receiving his orders to Iraq and did so at the same time as his best friend.

I have little or no sympathy to those who volunteer for honorable military service and later decide it was more than they bargained for. The military has long been a stepping stone to a solid trade or collage education, however those incentives are there to draw the needed manpower to defend this great country. It is not, and should never be considered, an entitlement program. It is a job with a clearly defined job description - if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.