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Voices from the Military
by Mike Ferner
FT. Stewart, Georgia - The court martial of Army Sgt. Kevin Benderman for refusing to deploy to Iraq with the Third Infantry Division has taken two dramatic turns before it has begun.
On Wednesday, in the no-frills courtroom here at this sprawling Army post near Savannah, Col. Stephen Henley granted a motion filed by defense attorneys for a new Article 32 hearing, setting the proceedings against Benderman back to square one. Then, as the process began anew the next day, the Army filed two new allegations against the 40 year-old sergeant that could add up to 10 more years to his sentence if he is found guilty.
San Diego, TX–(HISPANIC PR WIRE)–May 10, 2005
The following statement was issued today by Navy Petty Officer Third Class Pablo Paredes prior to his court martial trial in San Diego on Wednesday:
Yesterday I formally entered a plea of “not guilty” to charges of unauthorized absence and missing movement stemming from my refusal to board the Iraq-bound ship USS Bonhomme Richard on December 6, 2004. I will be tried in a special court martial on 05/11/2005.
New York Sailor Who Refused to Ship Out for Persian Gulf Sentenced to Hard Labor
By Seth Hettena
Associated Press Writer
May 12, 2005, 6:11 PM EDT
SAN DIEGO — A New York sailor was sentenced to three months of hard labor Thursday for refusing to ship out for the Persian Gulf in a protest against the war in Iraq.
Pablo Paredes was also demoted from petty officer third class to seaman recruit, the lowest rank in the Navy.
By Russ Bynum
Associated Press Writer
The Guardian
FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) - The court-martial of an Army mechanic who refused to deploy to Iraq came to a sudden halt Wednesday when a military judge ordered a new investigative hearing for the soldier.
Sgt. Kevin Benderman was to stand trial Thursday on charges of desertion and missing movement, but the judge, Col. Stephen Henley, ruled that the investigating officer who recommended trying him in a general court-martial had compromised her impartiality in an e-mail to a military prosecutor.
Sergeant Benderman’s CO status was denied, again, by his command April 29th.
To learn more about Kevin’s case, please visit www.bendermandefense.org.
The following is Monica Benderman’s letter to Kevin’s command in response to their denial of his CO application.
