Fort Gordon Protest

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Posted: 10:21 PM May 29, 2008
Last Updated: 4:02 PM May 30, 2008
Reporter: Staff
Email Address: Kelsey.Barlow@wrdw.com

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May 29, 2008

Fort Gordon Ga.--About 20 people protested tonight outside gate one at Fort Gordon holding signs saying free Ryan.

They were protesting on behalf of 25 year old Ryan Jackson.
He's a Fort Gordon soldier that is facing AWOL charges, one drug charge, and five charges of failure to report for duty.

He is scheduled to appear before an army judge Friday morning.
According to his attorney he's charged with multiple counts of AWOL from his attempt to be released from the army before his deployment to Iraq.

According to Ft. Gordon Jackson has never applied for conscientious objector status. He has never been deployed and has not been scheduled to be deployed.

He faces a maximum one year prison sentence.

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Posted by: Military Man Location: Augusta on Jun 30, 2009 at 02:59 PM
Not everyone realizes the actual reason for which they sign to be a soldier. Integrity can be an argument of both a soldier, and a conciencious objector. He did sign on voluntarily, but most people don't really know the hidden stresses of being stationed at Ft. Gordon. If you are not or have never been a soldier in training or even just staioned there you do not know what it is like. Furthermore, you have no right to judge exactly what limitations there are on any particular individual. The term individual describes the very fact that all people are different in regards to every aspect, including "how much you can take"

Posted by: Debbie Location: Stephenson on Jun 7, 2008 at 11:01 AM
Ryan Jackson was given 100 days sentence in the brig. I think that after someone signs up and sees what is really going on, that they may be put in a position that goes against their conscious and should be able to change their mind. This is what happened to Ryan. The reasons behind saying that the Iraq war is an illegal and immoral war make complete sense to me. Do your own research but include the stories of soldiers that have chosen to be conscientious objectors! Goto couragetoresist. o r g

Posted by: Theresa Location: S.Augusta on Jun 2, 2008 at 12:16 AM
He should serve the maximum sentice. He know what his obligation was when he joined the Army. It is unfair to all the other soldiers who are deployed.

Posted by: lorie Location: augusta on May 30, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Protest... He went into the service on a voluntary basis.. now its his turn to serve just as others before him has. Why should he be allowed to back out? My son served 2 terms there and he's the same age as Ryan. Maybe Ryan should found another to prove he isn't a man of integrity.

Posted by: Loretta Location: Hephzibah, GA on May 30, 2008 at 10:29 AM
I am a wife of a soldier who at a moments notice would go where he is ordered to go, not because he wants to go but because he signed on for the job. That is exactly what Ryan Jackson did. He knew the by joining the Army that he had a chance of going to war and going overseas. So he should take the consequences given to him--he was of age when he joined the Army in sound mind. If he was being assigned to other OCUNS (overseas station) for example South Korea, Germany, Hawaii would he have went AWOL. NO--the Army is not for the weak hearted or minded. You either do your job or get out the proper way when your enlistment is up. His going AWOL hurts the moral of his company and his peers. SHAME on Ryan Jackson. I HATE it when my husband is gone but it is life and a life that I have chosen and am proud of.

Posted by: Anonymous Location: N Augusta on May 29, 2008 at 11:46 PM
He should have to stand accountable for his actions. This grown man decided to sign up for service, he knew what the state of the world was before signing up. And what message would it send if he were just allowed to walk off scott free?