We frequently hear that Vietnam War resisters were different. Supposedly, the Vietnam resisters deserved to stay in Canada, because they were conscripts, i.e., they were drafted. In reality, many of the Vietnam-era war resisters did volunteer for military service. When they saw the reality of the war, and realized it was illegal, immoral and futile, they deserted. And many of those deserters came to Canada. They were let in, and allowed to stay.
LET THEM STAY
Dick Cotterill didn't want to fight in the Viet Nam war so he came north, as have a handful of deserters from the war in Iraq
Instead of deporting American military deserters, Canada should be welcoming them as potential immigrants, believes a former U.S. Marine, who himself deserted here during the Viet Nam war.
"I have a lot of respect for the military," said Bible Hill resident Dick Cotterill, who made his way to Canada in 1972 after "skipping out" on his marine squadron, stationed in Hawaii. "My son's a member of the Canadian air force today. I'm very proud of him. And I certainly support our troops and all that."
Five American deserters currently face deportation from Canada by the end of this month (two deportations are scheduled for today) and Cotterill believes that is wrong, given that the conflict in Iraq "... is an illegal and immoral" war.
"This war in Iraq," he said, "never was sanctioned by the United Nations and it is a war of aggression..."
When Cotterill enlisted with the U.S. Marines in 1969, he did so under the same sort of fervor that many other young Americans displayed shortly after the 9-11 attacks. While today’s young recruits are bent on chasing down terrorists, in his day, the enemy was Communism, and like so many of his peers, Cotterill accepted the call of his government and willingly took up arms in the belief that was his patriotic duty.
Three years into his service, however, those views began to change and he began looking at ways to get out.
"As I got closer to my deployment in Viet Nam and as I met the men and women who were coming home from Viet Nam and talking to them and so on and getting a clearer picture of what was going on over there, it became a moral decision for me ... that I didn't want to participate in that war. And it finally came to the point where I couldn't complete my enlistment.
"So I began proceedings to apply for a discharge as a conscientious objector."
When that failed, he hopped a plane for home and went AWOL. "It was a moral and ethical decision."
After returning to Ithaca, N.Y., to inform his parents, Cotterill became acquainted with some anti-war protesters at Cornell University and eventually found his way to Nova Scotia. He ultimately gained landed immigrant status (is now a dual citizen), married, had a family and is co-owner of a successful business.
Now, watching the deportation battle underway with today's deserters, Cotterill believes they should "be welcomed" and given "the opportunity to apply to become Canadian citizens."
Making the decision to leave your home and family behind, go into hiding and escape to another country is not done lightly, he said, and comes only after someone decides they can no longer support the war effort on ethical grounds.
And while Cotterill does not believe soldiers can pick and choose the wars they fight, "... every soldier has the responsibility to refuse to obey orders that are illegal, unjust and immoral," as he feels is the case in Iraq.
"These young men and women who are deserting today from the war in Iraq, is a very similar situation. Some people say that these people weren't drafted, they volunteered. Well, I wasn't drafted. I volunteered and a lot of these people, the same thing that happened to me is happening to them.
"Because of my own experience, to me, they appear to be fine young people who would make wonderful Canadian citizens. And it just kind of rips my heart out to see them deported from Canada and locked up in a U.S. military prison. Because when you end up in a military prison as a deserter, you don’t have an easy time."
Thank you, Mr. Cotterill!
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