thedrifter
05-02-06, 07:37 AM
AWOL Marine with Maui ties flees to Canada
By CLAUDINE SAN NICOLAS, Staff Writer
A former Maui man, saying he took exception to military instructions he received as he trained for deployment to Iraq, has deserted from the U.S. Marines and is in Canada seeking refugee status.
Lance Cpl. Christopher Scott Magaoay, formerly of Pukalani, said he knows he may never be able to return to U.S. soil or even see his 4-year-old son living on Maui, but he’s willing to make the sacrifice because of his opposition to the war in Iraq.
“I left my unit and came to Canada because of my beliefs,” he wrote in an e-mail to The Maui News. “Now my family has all but disowned me.”
Family members on Maui confirmed they do not support Magaoay’s decision, with his father saying he is disappointed in his son.
In a telephone interview from Canada, Magaoay said he hopes Hawaii residents will support his stand against the war in Iraq by writing to the Canadian government to support his and other U.S. troops’ requests for refugee status. Such a declaration would allow them to seek asylum in Canada and live there for as long as they wish.
In Magaoay’s case, he can seek residency through sponsorship from his wife, Ria Rose, who is a Canadian citizen, though there are some financial issues. But he said he wants to pursue refugee status as a statement on the war in Iraq.
“I am not against war as a whole,” he said. “I am against the war in Iraq. It was a war of aggression, which was not sanctioned by the United Nations, therefore making it illegal.”
Magaoay was born on Maui, reared in Pukalani and attended King Kekaulike High School and Baldwin High School. He drop-ped out of high school and earned his General Educational Development credential in 2001.
He’s fathered one child from a previous relationship, and his father, mother and siblings all live on Maui. Magaoay said his family has not been supportive of his decision to take absence without leave and flee his military service.
“It’s heartbreaking, and it’s hard. It really is because the people closest to me are not even speaking to me.”
Magaoay’s father, Ruben, said he learned of his son’s actions when he received written notice from the U.S. Marine Corps, which reported that his son was a deserter.
“I’m kind of disappointed,” the 43-year-old Pukalani resident said. “I thought he wanted to go to war.”
Magaoay said he talked to his son on Tuesday and told him of his disappointment.
“I told him, ’You think you’re going to win this. I don’t think so. You’re just a small peanut,’ ” he told his son.
Ruben Magaoay said he suffered a stroke two years ago and has had to quit his career in construction. He said he’s had very little contact with Christopher since his son enlisted in the Marines.
The last time father and son saw each other was in October, when Christopher Magaoay visited family on Maui. Ruben Magaoay described his eldest son as a “problem child” who was in trouble with the law as a juvenile.
“I wish he didn’t do this. . . . Why did he have to go to Canada?” he said.
After obtaining his high school equivalency in 2001, Christopher Magaoay said he attempted to join the Army but was turned down. He didn’t give the reason. Following the Army rejection, Magaoay traveled to the Philippines and Canada for about a year and a half, before returning to Maui when he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2004.
After completion of basic training, Magaoay was assigned in 2005 to the Delta Company of the 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion stationed in Twentynine Palms, Calif. Magaoay said he was described by his supervising officer as a “stellar Marine” until recently, when the unit began training for deployment to Iraq.
Magaoay said he became troubled by his officers’ instructions during training.
“The mentality is shoot anyone who gets close to you and especially those who look like insurgents,” he said.
“I know that killing persons just because they are of a different race is wrong,” he said, “no matter what the rules of engagement are. That is why I left.”
Magaoay said he was especially troubled by an order from a senior officer, whom he claimed told him not to take responsibility for any civilian deaths in Iraq, whether the Marines caused the deaths or not.
“That just disgusted me,” he said. “They wanted us to lie. The Marine Corps is supposed to be the most honorable service in the United States, and I wasn’t expecting to hear them say this.”
Magaoay said his decision to leave the Marines was difficult because as a young boy growing up on Maui, he also saw himself in a career with the military.
“That’s all I ever wanted to do in my life. I always wanted to be in the military and serve my country,” he said.
A leader of Maui’s anti-war community, Mele Stokesberry, president of Maui Peace Action, said she has never met Magaoay but could support his position.
“It takes a lot of courage for an active-duty member of the military to speak out about the immoral and illegal Iraq invasion and occupation and about the repugnant policies of killing civilians, whitewashed by our government as ’collateral damage,’ ” she said.
Maui Peace Action helped to coordinate anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan’s talk on April 23 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Sheehan’s son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, was killed in action in 2004 in Iraq.
While visiting here, Sheehan called on Mauians to speak out against the war and to encourage American troops to put their guns down in resistance to the fight in Iraq. Stokesberry reiterated Sheehan’s call in discussing Magaoay.
“For those thinking of enlisting in the military, we encourage them to find out, and think deeply, about policies such as the killing of civilians, and the torture of prisoners, for they will have to obey such orders if they give up their civilian freedoms and join the armed forces.”
Military veteran Lee Zaslofski, who deserted his Vietnam War duties in the late 1960s, has been assisting Magaoay in Canada on behalf of the War Resisters Support Campaign.
The campaign, according to Zaslofski, is based in Toronto and has provided support for approximately 20 U.S. military deserters. None of them was granted re-fugee status.
According to Zaslofski, many more troops have sought information from the campaign by telephone, and his program estimates there are hundreds more who have sought refuge in Canada but have stayed quiet about it.
Zaslofski said he’s met Magaoay and his wife.
Since deserting on March 7, Magaoay said, he’s attended multiple anti-war demonstrations in Canada and has been interviewed by media in Canada.
Zaslofski said the Magaoays have no reason to hide in Canada, and in fact, both have been welcomed and supported by many anti-war Canadians.
“They have a good chance of success in Canada,” Zaslofski said.
Magaoay said he’s met several U.S. soldiers in the same position as he is.
“We all have different views of why we left, but we all feel strongly about it,” he said. “This experience has made us pretty much like family.”
Zaslofski said the War Resisters Supporters Campaign ma-kes a special effort to provide information and outline options to soldiers troubled by war duty.
“We don’t encourage people to come to Canada,” he said.
If and when a soldier decides to desert duty by fleeing to Canada, the War Resisters Support Campaign has been known to help find initial shelter and provide for basic food and clothing needs.
According to Zaslofski, deserting U.S. soldiers usually find their own means to get to Canada.
Magaoay, for example, drove in a car from California to Canada with his wife.
“It was nothing like driving to Hana. This ride was much harder,” Magaoay said.
He said he misses Maui, especially local food.
“It’s not like I go get takeout from Mel’s,” Magaoay said, referring to one of his favorite Filipino restaurants on the island.
Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.
Ellie
By CLAUDINE SAN NICOLAS, Staff Writer
A former Maui man, saying he took exception to military instructions he received as he trained for deployment to Iraq, has deserted from the U.S. Marines and is in Canada seeking refugee status.
Lance Cpl. Christopher Scott Magaoay, formerly of Pukalani, said he knows he may never be able to return to U.S. soil or even see his 4-year-old son living on Maui, but he’s willing to make the sacrifice because of his opposition to the war in Iraq.
“I left my unit and came to Canada because of my beliefs,” he wrote in an e-mail to The Maui News. “Now my family has all but disowned me.”
Family members on Maui confirmed they do not support Magaoay’s decision, with his father saying he is disappointed in his son.
In a telephone interview from Canada, Magaoay said he hopes Hawaii residents will support his stand against the war in Iraq by writing to the Canadian government to support his and other U.S. troops’ requests for refugee status. Such a declaration would allow them to seek asylum in Canada and live there for as long as they wish.
In Magaoay’s case, he can seek residency through sponsorship from his wife, Ria Rose, who is a Canadian citizen, though there are some financial issues. But he said he wants to pursue refugee status as a statement on the war in Iraq.
“I am not against war as a whole,” he said. “I am against the war in Iraq. It was a war of aggression, which was not sanctioned by the United Nations, therefore making it illegal.”
Magaoay was born on Maui, reared in Pukalani and attended King Kekaulike High School and Baldwin High School. He drop-ped out of high school and earned his General Educational Development credential in 2001.
He’s fathered one child from a previous relationship, and his father, mother and siblings all live on Maui. Magaoay said his family has not been supportive of his decision to take absence without leave and flee his military service.
“It’s heartbreaking, and it’s hard. It really is because the people closest to me are not even speaking to me.”
Magaoay’s father, Ruben, said he learned of his son’s actions when he received written notice from the U.S. Marine Corps, which reported that his son was a deserter.
“I’m kind of disappointed,” the 43-year-old Pukalani resident said. “I thought he wanted to go to war.”
Magaoay said he talked to his son on Tuesday and told him of his disappointment.
“I told him, ’You think you’re going to win this. I don’t think so. You’re just a small peanut,’ ” he told his son.
Ruben Magaoay said he suffered a stroke two years ago and has had to quit his career in construction. He said he’s had very little contact with Christopher since his son enlisted in the Marines.
The last time father and son saw each other was in October, when Christopher Magaoay visited family on Maui. Ruben Magaoay described his eldest son as a “problem child” who was in trouble with the law as a juvenile.
“I wish he didn’t do this. . . . Why did he have to go to Canada?” he said.
After obtaining his high school equivalency in 2001, Christopher Magaoay said he attempted to join the Army but was turned down. He didn’t give the reason. Following the Army rejection, Magaoay traveled to the Philippines and Canada for about a year and a half, before returning to Maui when he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2004.
After completion of basic training, Magaoay was assigned in 2005 to the Delta Company of the 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion stationed in Twentynine Palms, Calif. Magaoay said he was described by his supervising officer as a “stellar Marine” until recently, when the unit began training for deployment to Iraq.
Magaoay said he became troubled by his officers’ instructions during training.
“The mentality is shoot anyone who gets close to you and especially those who look like insurgents,” he said.
“I know that killing persons just because they are of a different race is wrong,” he said, “no matter what the rules of engagement are. That is why I left.”
Magaoay said he was especially troubled by an order from a senior officer, whom he claimed told him not to take responsibility for any civilian deaths in Iraq, whether the Marines caused the deaths or not.
“That just disgusted me,” he said. “They wanted us to lie. The Marine Corps is supposed to be the most honorable service in the United States, and I wasn’t expecting to hear them say this.”
Magaoay said his decision to leave the Marines was difficult because as a young boy growing up on Maui, he also saw himself in a career with the military.
“That’s all I ever wanted to do in my life. I always wanted to be in the military and serve my country,” he said.
A leader of Maui’s anti-war community, Mele Stokesberry, president of Maui Peace Action, said she has never met Magaoay but could support his position.
“It takes a lot of courage for an active-duty member of the military to speak out about the immoral and illegal Iraq invasion and occupation and about the repugnant policies of killing civilians, whitewashed by our government as ’collateral damage,’ ” she said.
Maui Peace Action helped to coordinate anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan’s talk on April 23 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Sheehan’s son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, was killed in action in 2004 in Iraq.
While visiting here, Sheehan called on Mauians to speak out against the war and to encourage American troops to put their guns down in resistance to the fight in Iraq. Stokesberry reiterated Sheehan’s call in discussing Magaoay.
“For those thinking of enlisting in the military, we encourage them to find out, and think deeply, about policies such as the killing of civilians, and the torture of prisoners, for they will have to obey such orders if they give up their civilian freedoms and join the armed forces.”
Military veteran Lee Zaslofski, who deserted his Vietnam War duties in the late 1960s, has been assisting Magaoay in Canada on behalf of the War Resisters Support Campaign.
The campaign, according to Zaslofski, is based in Toronto and has provided support for approximately 20 U.S. military deserters. None of them was granted re-fugee status.
According to Zaslofski, many more troops have sought information from the campaign by telephone, and his program estimates there are hundreds more who have sought refuge in Canada but have stayed quiet about it.
Zaslofski said he’s met Magaoay and his wife.
Since deserting on March 7, Magaoay said, he’s attended multiple anti-war demonstrations in Canada and has been interviewed by media in Canada.
Zaslofski said the Magaoays have no reason to hide in Canada, and in fact, both have been welcomed and supported by many anti-war Canadians.
“They have a good chance of success in Canada,” Zaslofski said.
Magaoay said he’s met several U.S. soldiers in the same position as he is.
“We all have different views of why we left, but we all feel strongly about it,” he said. “This experience has made us pretty much like family.”
Zaslofski said the War Resisters Supporters Campaign ma-kes a special effort to provide information and outline options to soldiers troubled by war duty.
“We don’t encourage people to come to Canada,” he said.
If and when a soldier decides to desert duty by fleeing to Canada, the War Resisters Support Campaign has been known to help find initial shelter and provide for basic food and clothing needs.
According to Zaslofski, deserting U.S. soldiers usually find their own means to get to Canada.
Magaoay, for example, drove in a car from California to Canada with his wife.
“It was nothing like driving to Hana. This ride was much harder,” Magaoay said.
He said he misses Maui, especially local food.
“It’s not like I go get takeout from Mel’s,” Magaoay said, referring to one of his favorite Filipino restaurants on the island.
Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.
Ellie