U.S. Deserter Puke In Canada Faces Deportation Back To U.S.
(CNN)
A U.S. soldier who deserted to Canada will not face persecution if he returns to the United States, Canada’s refugee agency ruled Wednesday.
National Guard Sgt. Corey Glass, 25, says he fled to Toronto in 2006 after serving in Iraq because he did not want to fight in a war he did not support.
“What I saw in Iraq convinced me that the war is illegal and immoral. I could not in good conscience continue to take part in it,” Glass said Wednesday. “I don’t think it’s fair that I should be punished for doing what I felt morally obligated to do.”
Glass, who’s still on active duty and is considered absent without leave, applied for refugee status at the Canadian border in August 2006 on the grounds of objection to military service.
But Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board denied his application for refugee status Wednesday, prompting the Canadian Border Services Agency to issue a June 12 deportation order.
The agency says it evaluates each case on its own merits to determine whether the applicant faces a “well-founded fear” of persecution or cruel and unusual punishment if he returns to his home country.
“All refugee claimants have a right to due process,” said Danielle Norris, a spokeswoman for Customs and Immigrations Canada. “When they have exhausted all legal avenues, we expect them to respect our laws and leave the country.”
Glass, of Fairmont, Indiana, says he joined the National Guard believing that he would be deployed only if the United States faced occupation. After he returned from his first tour of duty, he said, he tried to leave the Army but was told that desertion was punishable by death.
Penalties for desertion range from a demotion in rank to a maximum penalty of death, depending on the circumstances, said Maj. Nathan Banks, an Army spokesman.
“The first thing we try to do is rehabilitate and retrain the soldier to see if we can keep him,” he said. “Remember, we’re at war, so everybody counts. When you decide to desert, you let everybody down.”
Banks said that it is up to the deserter’s commanding officer to decide on an appropriate punishment if the soldier refuses to return.
Members of War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada, which is providing transitional support to Glass and at least 13 other deserters in Canada, are holding out for a political avenue of appeal through the Canadian House of Commons.
In December, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration adopted a motion calling on the Canadian government to initiate a residency program for conscientious objectors who have left military service “related to a war not sanctioned by the United Nations.”
The motion has yet to receive approval from the entire House of Commons.
Norris says the agency has received about 40 applications for refugee claims from U.S. deserters since the Iraq war began in 2003. Of the claims that have been addressed in public, only five have made it to the country’s Federal Court of Appeals, a venue of last resort.
All five appeals were rejected, according to Norris.
The high court has yet to rule on its sixth challenge of this kind from Army combat engineer Joshua Key, who fled to Saskatchewan with his wife and four children in 2005.
“This has been our home for three years now. It’s a lot like the U.S., and it’s as close to the U.S. as you can be,” said Key, who served on the front lines in Falluja before he returned to the United States in 2002.
Key said that fleeing to Canada was a difficult but obvious choice when faced with returning to Iraq.
“There was nothing but violence and innocent civilians dying in our hands for no justification,” Key said. “We became the terrorists.”
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Glass, I feel morally obligated to kick your ass!
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:32 am“This has been our home for three years now. It’s a lot like the U.S., and it’s as close to the U.S. as you can be,” said Key, who served on the front lines in Falluja before he returned to the United States in 2002.
Bullshit! The fuckin war didnt start until 2003!
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:37 am“There was nothing but violence and innocent civilians dying in our hands for no justification,”
So, there was no violence and innocent civilian death under Saddam before we came in?
“We became the terrorists.”
So, we went in with the goal of killing everyone in the name of religion? Toppling the Saddam regime, bringing democracy, increasing security, and boosting the economy are all results of “terrorists” at work?
I hate little fucking faggot worms like this guy.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:10 amIt should be Leavenworth this puke. Or send him to Club de Gitmo to visit Akbar and Habib.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:16 amNah, Fu*k it, just shoot him.
Nothing worse than an asshole who can’t honor a contract or committment.
Throw the bum down the hole
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:26 am“This has been our home for three years now. It’s a lot like the U.S., and it’s as close to the U.S. as you can be…” so, he wants all of the benefits of living in the US or near it, but without actually having to make any sacrifices. Piece of shit.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:51 am“….we expect them to respect our laws and leave the country.”….”
Man you Canadians are racist pricks. I’m gonna sic that U.N. guy on ya!!!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:07 amHe looks a bit like John ‘eFFin Kerry! Same dumb stare, same dumb face, same dumb treasonous piece of S*** attitude. He’ll probably be running for public office in 10 years and the Libs will vote for him, too. That is if he isn’t still in. He’s a liar and a chicken.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:24 amooops, the word prison didn’t stick. Shoulod have said, “That is if he still isn’t in PRISON.”
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:26 amWhere are my glasses?!?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:26 amLooks like some folks in Fairmont, Indiana,
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:30 ammight want to be welcoming Sgt.Corey Glass back to town.
A soldier complaining that there was “nothing but violence and civilians dying for no justification”
what am I missing? Isn’t that what WAR is about?? Why doesn’t he address his civilian complaints to the terrorist scum that hole up around civilians for cover 
yeah, I believe that, right after Osama converts to Christianity 
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:47 amThese pukes who sign up for the military and are “morally distressed” when they have to kill people and blow up things are confusing - what the hell did they expect their job was to do? Glass thought that the Guard would only be deployed “if the US faced occupation”
No charges upon returning? then why the fuck would we even want him back?
Tell this little ball-less prick to stay out of the US.
Serving your country means absolutely nothing if you come back and lie about those you served with. I have less than zero respect for this pansy
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:59 amIf you don’t want to honor your contract, fine. The rest of the troops don’t need your slack ass around anyway. But the least you can do is pay the penalty for breaking your contract instead of trying to justify your pathetic running away and hiding behavior with lies, fabrications and/or distortion.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:05 amIllegal war and your morals my ass. Your actions are the only thing illegal and obviously you have no morals.
What a puke. Anything he says falls on deaf ears, trying to justify his cowardice and failure to honor his committment. I know this generation thinks they get a pass on things like that (at least some of them do), but that’s not how it works. His CO gets to decide if he gets a court martial. Wow.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:20 amIt frustrates me to no end to see cowards like this go unpunished. Its a slap in the face to those of us who have served honorably.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:29 pmThe thing that constantly blows my mind is when said douche says “From what I saw in Iraq blah blah blah….” when they have already refused their orders to go there the first time.I’m sorry but that confuses the sh!t outta me.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:43 pmThe thing that constantly blows my mind is when said douche says “From what I saw in Iraq blah blah blah….” when they have already refused their orders to go there the first time.I’m sorry but that confuses the sh!t outta me.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:43 pmGuys, you are missing the key bit of evidence:
“Glass…says he joined the National Guard believing that he would be deployed only if the United States faced occupation. After he returned from his first tour of duty…he tried to leave the Army”
So he thought the National Guard was a purely ceremonial organization that would just give him gobs of cash. I bet our young hero figured the probability of the US being occupied when was 0%. Once he had to actually GUARD something in return for his college education and hard ass photos he used to get chicks, he decided he had a moral objection to the whole enterprise.
Long way of saying he’s a selfish coward.
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:43 pmRead your contract dipshit! the national guard was called up during vietnam. stupid motherfucker!
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:57 pm03 Usmc ,
you are correct the iraq war started on March 20 2003. He returned from fallujah in 2002. Another idiot libtard who doesnt do any fact checking before he lies about his “service”. Add this guy to the jesse mcbeth list.
Joshua Key.
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:01 pmi would like to know where exactly he served a who was is CO. They make it sound as if a national gaurdsman was on the pointy end of the spear. Think he is full of shit and just did want to do his job becuase he is lazy. Think twice about the free education dipshit.
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:29 pmGot news for him. The NG is no “weekend warrior” org. And when you sign up the contract si the same as for the RA.
He’s a lying POS. Leave him in Canada…or show him the door to Islamistan somewhere. I’d like to see a vid of haji cutting this puke’s head off.
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:44 pmIn another article it said that he was in Military intelligence for the California National Guard and was deployed in 2005. I did some research on the CA Nat. Guard and found a couple of possibilities for his unit. The 223rd Military Intelligence Bn and the 250th Military Intelligence Bn. Both of those units for what I could find were not in Fallujah and were deployed in 2004. This asshats story is chocked full of holes.
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:27 pm…Key said. “We became the terrorists.”
No, Key….you became, and still are, A PUSSY!!!
About Glass…can we get an arrival date for him and give him a Welcome To Your Ass-Kicking Party??
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:30 pmWorthless… He volunteered! It’s like anyone taking a job and then saying that they didn’t know they have to work! We need an example made of him and anyone else. I can understand (a little bit anyway) if he was DRAFTED but he volunteered. We should offer him two options, death or disMEMBERment (castration so he won’t reproduce more puzzy baastards!
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:11 amThis from another report I found:
(Toronto, Ontario) In 2006, U.S. National Guard Sgt. Corey Glass deserted his unit and fled to Canada. He claimed he deserted because the Iraq War is illegal and he was mad because, when he joined, he thought the National Guard was a humanitarian organization.
He thought the National Guard was a humanitarian organization? This guy lies like a fckng muzzy.
Canada should keep him and send us Mark Steyn.
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:51 am