NEWS: Iraqi Vet Discharged for Protesting War

POLITICS: Iraqi Vet Discharged for Protesting War

Adam Kokesh, the US Marine who gained attention by getting arrested for protesting the Iraq war while wearing a stripped-down version of his uniform in front of the US Senate, has lost a bid to appeal his forced discharge from the USMC. Cpl. Kokesh's duties in Iraq included a stint in the notoriously hazardous Falluja. He had completed his Iraqi tour and was a member of the military's Individual Ready Reserve (which mostly consists of non-active military personnel who still have time remaining in their military service obligation and may be called back).



Kokesh joined Iraqi Veterans Against the War after returning from Iraq in 2004 and became active in the group's publicity stunts, most notably when he held up a poster marking off how many times Alberto Gonzales uttered the words "I don't recall" during his Senate testimony regarding the US Attorney firings. While the Gonzales stunt got attention, it was a mock military funeral in front of the Senate office building that landed Cpl. Kokesh in the paddy wagon.

Photographs of Kokesh participating in that ballsy piece of street theater appeared in the Washington Post and soon a military board ordered complete dismissal from the military despite his status in the Individual Ready Reserve. Kokesh, who continued his college education after completing active duty service, claims that he still loves being a Marine. Already honorably discharged following his Iraq tour, the Marines brought him back to re-discharge him not-so-honorably. The Pentagon, which faces growing numbers of military veterans coming out against the war, just wants Kokesh to go away. Judging by the corporal's flair for the dramatic we can be sure to be hearing from him again soon.

Science bless that man.

Hell yea! Cpl. Kokesh, you're my hero! <3

+1

Glad to hear that even a marine level brain-washing can be overcome. I am my self a recovering from 13 years of the Catholic-flavored variety. I'm fully atheist and feel much better now, thanks. I still have minor relapses of guilt every now and then, but a healthy dose of reality, logic and common sense make it all go away.

UCMJ, Article 88

I figure he was in the IRR and just pacticing his rights to free speech. He didn't give away any kind of sensitive information, or refuse duty in a combat zone. his less than honorable discharge is a bullshit punishment. I don't really agree with him...and had I been present for that mock funeral, I probably would have been pissed off by it....but all in all I say good on him and I'm popping the brown star cluster on his re-discharge.

When you are in the military you can't attend protests in uniform. And since he was in the IRR he didn't fulfill his contract with the military. He could have protested, got arrested while not in uniform and had no problems. I read he is going to school and will probably give up his GI Bill money about 39000 dollars and might have given up the chances to get student loans too. All he had to do was not wear the uniform and he would have been good. I think a part of Article 134 covers it.

Nice try. You quoted Article 88, which applies only to Commissioned Officers. CPL Kokesh was a Non-Commissioned Officer who was Honorably Discharged. As a member of the IRR, he is not subject to the UCMJ (as ruled by the judge presiding over his case). Veterans have just as much right to protest as any other citizen.

of course if he was a Republican attending Freeper rallies in uniform that would have been just dandy. Or if he was powerful & rich like Dumbya Bush he could have gone AWOL and not even served his full term and been honorably discharged.

Why would someone VOLUNTEER for the military and refuse to serve?

I am glad that our military isn't full of liberal pussies such as this pansy!!

We would all be speaking German today if liberalism was as pathetic as it is today during WWII.

Go Marines!!!

Most people spend their lives wondering if they made a difference, Marines do not have to!!

It is in the Military Code somewhere that a current service member can not wear his uniform while protesting. Something about representing I believe. I think it is ironic that we are supposedly fighting for free speech and the like when the people who actually do the fighting can not exorcise it. That speaks volumes.

He also told a Marine Corps Major to go "fuck himself."

It was the wearing of the uniform combined with the disrespect, but yeah, even the Marine Corps said that the UCMJ doesn't apply to those on IRR status so it was the typical vindictive nature of the military.

Next in the sights is Liam Madden. So far they haven't touched us Active-Duty IVAWers.

I was also unaware that those rules applied to those in the IRR.

I am also annoyed that a political protest in front of the Senate is somehow against the law.

On the other hand? I fail to see how many times Gonzales said 'I do not recall.' has anything to do with the war.

Read: Grandstanding; Attention-Whoring.

Just to inform you, there are plenty of liberals proudly serving in the military.

Now looking at the situation logically, you would know that the IRR is for people who have already served their 4 years of ACTIVE duty service. Its more or less a clause stating that for the next 4 years, if there is an extreme emergency and we need someone in that particular job field then they can be called back into service. You dont get paid for it... its not like the "2 days a month, two weeks a year" reserves. Its simply the "we're keeping your name on a list and hopefully we never have to call you back" reserves.

SO, addressing your point about him volunteering to serve and then objecting to the war; if you think about it, considering he deployed in 2004 and when he came back he was honorably discharged from Active duty, he enlisted way before the war in Iraq began... hell prior to 911. So he didn't volunteer to participate in this illegal war of aggression. He was sort of dropped into it.

Hear, hear!
By the way the above is an abbreviation for "hear, all ye good people, hear what this brilliant and eloquent speaker has to say!" (thank you, the straight dope!)

By the way, I saw the headline and my first thought was "Well if my employees were publicly decrying my company, I would fire them." Chalk this one up as another "Big Fucking Deal."

Well, he would have been much better off in uniform, giving a speech to civilians about how anyone who follows Islam are worshippers of Satan (or idolators).

See also, Lt. General William G. Boykin.

A mock funeral while his compatriots are dying in a real war may have been bad form...

He ended up receiving a Less than Honorable Discharge, which is not so bad if it is considered a General Discharge. He can then after a cerain time period apply to have it changed back to Honorable. So he would get all his benefits back i.e. GI bill, Veterans medical, VA home loans etc. So in reality it is a non punishment. (That is assuming it is actually a general discharge)

He did not receive a "less than honorable discharge". His Honorable discharge was down-graded to a General- Under Honorable Conditions discharge. And that upgrade back to Honorable after 6 months is a joke, the appeals board RARELY, if ever, approves those.

As far as I know, protest by decorum doesn't really work that well anymore.

Ronn- nice to see another IVAW member on here discussing this. I'm sure Liam's case won't be the last, they've also set their sights on Cloy Richards.

If you're such a cheerleader for the Marines, why don't you enlist? Your ignorance on this issue is pretty obvious. Adam never refused to serve, he did his time in Iraq and got out. He is hardly a "liberal pussy" as you so eloquently put it, he was proud to serve in the Corps and is still serving his comrades by fighting to bring them home. He stood up against the military and won. By doing this, he has upheld YOUR right to come on here and talk shit about him. Adam knows he has made a difference, what the fuck have you done?