Soldier jailed for refusing to deploy in Afghanistan – after his contract was over

It's a fairly common issue and one I have strong feelings about: should soldiers who refuse to deploy to war-torn areas be punished, or left alone? My opinion is, of course, that any soldier who votes not to throw himself in a deadly environment, whether its in his enlistment contract or not, very much has the right to do so. If he prefers his life over fulfilling military terms, I applaud him for making the reasonable choice. Especially when the war in question is such a farce to begin with.

This is the case with Specialist Victor Agosto, 24, who refused to be sent back to Afghanistan as ordered – orders that came after his enlistment dates had passed. His justification for opting out: the war "violates international law".

Someone give this man a handshake for me.

Spc. Victor Agosto, 24, of Miami, pleaded guilty to disobeying lawful orders and was sentenced at the central Texas Army post. The judge also reduced his rank to the Army's lowest level, a private, which also was part of the maximum penalty he faced in his plea agreement with the military.

Also, Agosto cannot be discharged at a level lower than other-than-honorable conditions, an administrative discharge. A discharge was not mentioned in the hearing, but Agosto is expected to be released from the Army after completing his jail term.

Before he was sentenced during the hourlong military hearing, he told the judge he should not be jailed because he posed no threat to anyone.

What is with the Army's ridiculous tactic of imprisoning anyone who doesn't do exactly as they say, regardless of whether they actually pose a threat or not? I'm sorry, but a soldier who simply disagrees with you, if he isn't about to hurt anyone, does not deserve to be thrown behind bars. That's pathetic.

Granted, maybe Spc. Agosto should've thought about the possibility of being forced into wars he may fundamentally believe are completely wrong before he chose to enlist in the Army, but still, you can't blame the guy for not wanting to go and get himself blown up along with the thousands of other soldiers who've lost their lives in this ridiculous trumped-up "war".

And besides: what, are there no other posts available for Army soldiers in the US? Do all soldiers have to go overseas in the killing zones or something? I dunno about you, but instead of throwing dissenters in jail, why not just freakin' reassign them? How complicated can that be? Place them somewhere they won't run the risk of injury or death every freakin' day, and somehow, I think they'll accept. Makes sense to me.