Peter Jemley - U.S. Army Deserter

(Toronto, Ontario) A 42-year-old deserter from the U.S. Army, Peter Jemley, is seeking refugee status in Canada claiming he feared being ordered to participate in torture.

In a complimentary profile, Canadian media describe Jemley as a unique, quiet and polite, independent, father of two young children who is principled about stopping torture in the world.

Jemley enlisted in 2005, not as a patriot, but because "Iraqis are people too" and immediately entered the two-year Arabic linguist training program at the U.S. Army Language School in Monterey, California. Jemley was then assigned as an Arabic linguist with a top security clearance to the 341st Military Intelligence Battalion at Camp Murray, Washington, where he started reading media reports about torture at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Consequently, when learning that he might be sent to Guantanamo, Jemley deserted.

"I think everyone is agreeing now that torture is really what has been going on ... I have every reason to believe that from my small pool that I belong to, with my credentials, that I'd be ordered to do such things."

Notably, Jemley is the first deserter to claim he skipped to Canada because he didn't want to be a torturer. He's also the first to admit that he deserted because he was convinced by the mainstream media.

Interestingly, as I follow the Canadian media in their reports of U.S. military deserters, I get the strong feeling that each article is written by the deserters' mothers. Deserting the U.S. military is a serious offense, at a time of war or otherwise, yet when these same people arrive in Canada, the media portrays them as not only sympathetic but close to heroic and saintly.


[Update 9/10/08]

Some additional details are provided by a soldier attached to Peter Jemley's 'former' U.S. Army unit. Apparently, Jemley's military specialty had nothing to do with interrogations at Guantanamo and he would never be ordered to do so. Therefore, Jemley being disingenuous by stating that he feared being ordered to participate in torture.

Furthermore, Jemley had acquired a reputation of being extremely arrogant and standoffish, neither of which contribute to unit cohesion, and he had the habit of jumping the chain of command when he didn't get his way.

Jemley reportedly has been gone for months while his wife complained that he wasn't supporting her. She also said she didn't know where he was. Check the link for more.

Also: The Jawa Report