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Date Posted: 14:32:16 03/14/06 Tue
Author: taurus
Subject: The US military never forgets...

War deserter could be freed within a week: marines

A Vietnam War deserter from B.C. will probably be released from a California military base where he's being held within a week, the U.S. Marine Corps said on Tuesday.

Despite being held at the military base, the marines say 56-year-old Allen Abney is not being detained in a jail cell and has access to a window and a TV.

He has also been able to make telephone calls, despite earlier reports from his family to the contrary, Marine Corps spokesman Lieut. Lawton King told The Globe and Mail.

Abney was arrested last Thursday when he and his wife were crossing the United States border into Idaho -- as they had done many times before -- from their home in Kingsgate, B.C.

They were on their way to Reno, Nev. for a holiday when the border guard asked the two to come inside.

A routine computer check last Thursday, however, revealed an arrest warrant. Since then he has been held at Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego.

Abney was born in the U.S. but grew up in Canada. He joined the Marine Corps in 1968 at the age of 19. After going through basic training in North Carolina, he fled to Canada before he could be sent to Vietnam.

Thousands of young Americans did the same thing, although many were dodging the draft rather than deserting. Many of them also moved to the southern B.C. interior.

The move to arrest Abney 38 years after the warrant was issued is not part of an attempt to crack down on deserters, the Marine Corps insists.

But some find the scenario puzzling. Human rights lawyer Jeffry House, who himself fled to Canada during the Vietnam era to avoid the draft, said the development "is a bit of a mystery."

"You would have to know the internal workings of the U.S. government to know (the reasoning), but I certainly suspect that it's related to the present war and to the fact that there are 8,000 deserters from the present war," he told CTV Newsnet Tuesday.

"I suppose it's a kind of method of warning people that the United States military ... has a long memory."

Abney became a Canadian citizen in 1977, the same year U.S. President Jimmy Carter offered a pardon to war resistors, or so-called "draft dodgers" if they applied.

Carter also allowed war deserters to apply for resolution of their cases. For whatever reason, Abney never applied.

Charges of desertion have a sliding scale of penalties. The results range from an "other-than-honourable discharge" to a maximum penalty of five years in jail.

(I worked with a man who dodged the draft, he missed his family)

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[> Re: The US military never forgets... -- 23, 14:46:10 03/14/06 Tue [1]

"I suppose it's a kind of method of warning people that the United States military ... has a long memory."

Sounds like that's what they're doing here, to me.

I'm thinking those border guards were told by their higher ups to keep a look-out for people who have long standing warrants for desertion, so they can be made an example. This guy was the unlucky winner.

And 8,000 deserters from the current war? That's an interesting figure. No big surprise that it hasn't been mentioned on the news (to my knowledge).

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[> Re: The US military never forgets... -- taurus, 14:57:56 03/14/06 Tue [1]

It was mentioned on Cdn news and so was the number of people who moved to Canada after the last election. I forget the number.

You know it seems crazy to me that deserters couldn't be pardoned after so many years. I know that this guy had joined the marines, but it punishment enough to have to leave your families. I guess this is no excuse.

Oh and the U.S. government is putting alot of pressure on Canada about it's borders.We are all going to have to have a special card to travel to the States by 2008. Right now I can cross over with only my birth certificate or drivers lisence.(sp)

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[> Re: The US military never forgets... -- 23, 15:15:55 03/14/06 Tue [1]

What??!!??

I don't know if Is can deals with yous being in the same country as mes. Fer real, dog.

You stay on your side, I'll stay on mine.

(scratch that. Your side looks better with every passing year.)

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