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Soldier's conscientious objector claim deniedby Titus Peachey On February 10, 2004 Agustin Aguayo, a soldier in the U.S. Army was deployed to Iraq against his wishes. Agustin had enlisted in the Army to get training in the medical field. As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq unfolded, he realized that he had deep convictions against taking human life. At the time, however, he did not realize there was such a thing as conscientious objection to war, or that it was an option for discharge from the military. Through the help of counselors at the Military Counseling Network (MCN), he learned about conscientious objection and decided to submit a conscientious objector claim. Shortly after making his official request, he was sent to Iraq. It was six months later, while still in Iraq, that Agustin received word that his claim had been denied. Agustin survived his one-year deployment to Iraq, and is now reunited with his wife and children back in Germany. But he is still in the military. With the help of the Military Counseling Network and the Center on Conscience & War, Agustin is submitting an appeal in hopes of getting a discharge as a conscientious objector. You can read Agustin and his wife Helga's stories in Sound Off, the attached Military Counseling Network newsletter. To learn more about the Military Counseling Network, go to: To learn how to make a donation to the Aguayo's legal fund, go to:
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