WASHINGTON – A U.S. Army reservist who publicly refused to go to Iraq last month may face prosecution from the army after failing to report for active duty with his South Carolina unit, Agence France-Presse reported.
Matthis Chiroux — a former sergeant who was honorably discharged from the army after serving five years in Afghanistan, Japan, Germany, and the Philippines — has reportedly denounced the Iraq war, calling it "illegal and unconstitutional."
Speaking to reporters in Washington on Sunday, Chiroux read a statement defending his refusal to deploy to Iraq, AFP reported.
"I stand here today in defense of those who have been stripped of their voices in this occupation, the warriors of this nation ..." he said.
Chiroux's father, Rob, who was standing alongside his son as he met with the media, characterized the army's decision to delpoy his son as a back-door draft.
"If our country is in such a dire emergency that we need to conscript manpower, Congress has to vote to reinstate the draft," he told AFP.
"But they won't do that because if Congress said we need to bring back the general draft, the war in Iraq would be resolved very quickly," he said.
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