Army specialist refuses to return to duty in Iraq.Byline: Susan Palmer The Register-Guard A soldier who deserted her Army unit to avoid a second tour of duty in Iraq will be returned to Fort Lewis, Wash., today after being arrested in Eugene on Sunday. Eugene police arrested Suzanne Nicole Swift, 21, a specialist with the 54th Military Police Company, after receiving a copy of a felony warrant from the Fort Lewis provost marshal's office on Sunday. The warrant indicated that Swift could be found at her mother's house and officers arrested her there, Eugene police spokesman Rich Stronach said. Swift had been absent without leave since January. Swift was taken to the Lane County Jail where she was expected to be handed over to military police today and returned to the Army base near Tacoma. She could not be reached for comment. Swift's mother, Eugene social worker Sara Rich, has been a vocal opponent of the Iraq war Iraq War: see under Persian Gulf Wars. Iraq War or Second Persian Gulf War Brief conflict in 2003 between Iraq and a combined force of troops largely from the U.S. and Great Britain; and a subsequent U.S. , but said she didn't stand in her daughter's way when Swift decided to join the Army in spring 2003. Swift had graduated from South Eugene High School South Eugene High School is a public high school located in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It was founded as Eugene High School around 1900, and was located at Willamette Street and West 11th Avenue in a brick building that later served as Eugene's city hall. the year before and had been working, but felt she wasn't getting anywhere, Rich said. The message from Army recruiters - that she could receive an education and travel - resonated. Rich said recruiters told her daughter if she signed up for a five-year tour with the military police, she would not be sent to Iraq. But it didn't work out that way. After Swift became part of the military police, her company was deployed to Iraq in February 2004. She was stationed in Karbala, about 60 miles southwest of Baghdad. The city - a holy site to Shiite Muslims - has seen its share of the violence of war. Swift drove a Humvee on combat patrol For ground forces, a tactical unit sent out from the main body to engage in independent fighting; detachment assigned to protect the front, flank, or rear of the main body by fighting if necessary. Also called fighting patrol. See also combat air patrol; patrol; reconnaissance patrol. there, her mother said. She came home to Fort Lewis in February 2005, believing she had the standard 18 months decompression time before she would be redeployed, Rich said. Mother and daughter visited whenever they could, but Swift didn't tell her much about what she'd seen of the war. "She had been through so much, but she didn't want to freak me out," Rich said. Then Swift was asked to sign a waiver agreeing to return to Iraq early, in January, 11 months after returning to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . It was the last thing Swift wanted to do, Rich said. Having seen the war first-hand, she had profound doubts about it, and had told her mother she thought the war lacked purpose and that no one had benefited from the U.S. presence in Iraq. While she was in Iraq, she wrote to Rich about being repeatedly sexually harassed by Army staff and was always anxious about being assaulted, Rich said. She didn't complain because she thought it would make things worse, Rich said. Days before the redeployment re·de·ploy tr.v. re·de·ployed, re·de·ploy·ing, re·de·ploys 1. To move (military forces) from one combat zone to another. 2. in January, Swift was packed and ready to go, but then broke down, car keys in hand, Rich said. "She turned to me in the kitchen and said, `I can't go back there.' I said, `Good, don't do it,' ' Rich said. So Swift stayed behind when the 54th Military Police Company returned to Iraq. First she stayed with a friend in Brookings on the Southern Oregon This article is about the southern region of the U.S. state of Oregon. For the University, see Southern Oregon University. Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. Coast, but in May, she came back to Eugene and moved in with her mother. Rich arranged for her to speak with an attorney and begin seeing a psychologist for help with post traumatic stress disorder Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) A disorder that occurs among survivors of severe environmental stress such as a tornado, an airplane crash, or military combat. Symptoms include anxiety, insomnia, flashbacks, and nightmares. . She said she would rather see her daughter imprisoned im·pris·on tr.v. im·pris·oned, im·pris·on·ing, im·pris·ons To put in or as if in prison; confine. [Middle English emprisonen, from Old French emprisoner : en- for desertion than returned to Iraq. Fort Lewis Army spokesman Joe Hitt confirmed that Swift would be returned to Fort Lewis, but declined to discuss her situation further. He said that her company commander will determine appropriate punishment and that no decision had been made in her case. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. an Army spokesman at the Pentagon, the Pentagon, the, building accommodating the U.S. Dept. of Defense. Located in Arlington, Va., across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., the Pentagon is a five-sided building consisting of five concentric pentagons connected to each other by corridors and covering number of soldiers absent without leave - AWOL, which means they are are missing from their military unit for up to 30 days - is less than 1 percent of the total number of soldiers. In 2005, 2,011 soldiers were reported AWOL, down from 4,483 in 2002, the spokesman said. But those numbers don't add up, said the lawyer representing Swift. Larry Hildes, a Bellingham, Wash., attorney who is part of a National Lawyers Guild task force on military law, said there are hundreds of lawyers around the nation representing deserting soldiers. He has handled a dozen such cases since the Iraq war began and has four current cases. A national hotline dealing with the rights of those in the military gets a minimum of 2,000 calls a month, Hildes said, the majority of them from soldiers who don't want to return to war. "An increasing number have been to Iraq and are refusing to go back. I've got interrogators and military police officers who will not go back," Hildes said. Desertion can bring a range of responses, from a reprimand REPRIMAND, punishment. The censure which in some cases a public office pronounces against an offender. 2. This species of punishment is used by legislative bodies to punish their members or others who have been guilty of some impropriety of conduct towards them. and re-integration with the unit to the loss of all military benefits, court martial COURT MARTIAL. A court authorized by the articles of war, for the trial of all offenders in the army or navy, for military offences. Article 64, directs that general courts martial may consist of any number of commissioned officers, from five to thirteen, inclusively; but they shall not and a five-year stint in prison. It carries a powerful social stigma Social stigma is severe social disapproval of personal characteristics or beliefs that are against cultural norms. Social stigma often leads to marginalization. Examples of existing or historic social stigmas can be physical or mental disabilities and disorders, as well as , too, which Rich acknowledged. But she sees her daughter's refusal to return the way she viewed her daughter's willingness to serve in the first place. "She went to Iraq once and she was my hero then," Rich said. "I think it takes a lot more courage to say no than to go back and be fodder for an immoral war." Hildes said he had been in contact with base officials weighing Swift's case, and the last he heard, they were considering a nonjudicial punishment Nonjudicial punishment in the United States military, is a form of military discipline authorized by Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Nonjudicial punishment permits commanders to administratively discipline troops without a court-martial. , possibly an administrative discharge. The Register-Guard was unable to talk with the Fort Lewis commander making the decision in Swift's case. The 54th Military Police Company returned from Iraq in April. According to a base newspaper, the company helped operate two compounds at Camp Bucca Camp Bucca is the name of a holding facility for security detainees maintained by the United States military in the vicinity of Umm Qasr, Iraq. The facility was initially called Camp Freddy and used by British Forces to hold Iraqi prisoners of war. , the largest prisoner-of-war facility in Iraq. About 70 peace activists joined Rich for a vigil on Monday in support of her daughter outside the Lane County Jail. 
A mother would want to see her daughter imprisoned rather than sent back to Iraq were she can help somebody? Nice Mother to have and I am really glad my Mother supports me and is not like this Soldiers mother! My wife, kids and friends all support me and I have even sent up a request to deploy again because I know that there are Soldiers over there that need a break. Some one needs to be replaced I am sure and I volunteer to do it. Why are some people so damn stingy and only care about themselves? Help out your feollow Americans and do your part.<br><br>To my Mother, thanks for supporting me and not wanting me to go to prison just to keep me home from the war. I am glad I will have VA benefits instead of a criminal record that will keep me from going to school and using my GI Bill.<br><br>I voluntered 28 years ago and I voluntered when the war broke out and I am again volunteering to go again now because I have Military Brothers and Sisters over there that I want to see come back have a break.<br><br>Ms Rich, I hope you find peace with yourself for helping her go to prison and teaching her that what she did was right, when you know it was wrong. |
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