Desertion And The American Soldier: 1776-2006
by Robert Fantina

Description

Desertion and the American Soldier: 1776 - 2005 is a history and analysis of military desertion from the Revolutionary War to the Iraqi Occupation. The main topics consist of the following: . The political, economic and social conditions of each time period; . The government's continued insistence on linking desertion with cowardice, despite extensive evidence to the contrary, and . The motivations for desertions. The motivations for desertion are many and complex, and are either rooted in or encouraged by military policy. This book describes the official policies on desertion that were in force during each conflict and how they were generally implemented; problems in the military justice system; and the motivations for desertions. Comprehensive data and interviews with deserters are included. If cowardice and betrayal are not, in fact, the motivating factors for the majority of those who illegally depart from the U.S. military, the question must be asked: Why do they desert? Are the issues that caused soldiers to flee to Canada in 2005 the same as those that caused Union soldiers to leave campaigns in Richmond, Virginia and return to their homes in the north? If not, how have the motivations evolved? What, exactly, causes a soldier, sometimes with a history of battle campaigns, to say 'enough'? Most of the causes of desertion are inherent in the military system itself, and this is carefully detailed within this book. The problems of the military system that cause desertion are detailed through the use of the government's own studies and historical statistics, along with information from other sources, . The author suggests that the government's response to desertion is simply apolitical tool to not only keep soldiers in the ranks, thus helping to further the country's goals (whether honorable or not), but also to keep the average citizen behind those goals. While the tactics of so doing have advanced through the last two centuries, the purposes have changed little. * Robert Fantina is a long-time activist for peace and social justice. He has worked with the Coalition for Peace Action in New Jersey. He was involved in the Dennis Kucinich presidential campaign in 2004, and then worked as a district organizer through MoveOn.org on the Kerry campaign in Florida. Following the 2004 presidential election, he moved to Canada, where he now resides.