Fearing other soldiers might do the same, the US military is trying to strike down Watada before it evolves into a national issue. The US Army has decided to court-martial Watada, but the soldier remains firm in his decision not to accept Iraqi deployment.
His conscience, he said, had overtaken him. He told the world what he had privately told his superiors months earlier: that he believed the war was illegal and immoral, and he would play no role in it, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Ehren Watada even offered his resignation from the military, a resignation that the army 'respectfully rejected'. Seeing this, Watada offered to fight in Afghanistan, and once again the military rejected the idea.
"A soldier cannot choose where and when he fights" was the honest reply from the military chiefs.
Despite the fact that hundreds of soldiers have voiced their criticism for the Iraq war on personal blogs over the internet, nobody before Watada actually refused to fight. The controversial decision by Watada has shook the military as it might be a threat to their war efforts.
"I'm not afraid to fight," said Watada in a strongly worded statement.
"I'm not a pacifist. If our country needed defending, I'd be the first one to pick up a rifle. But I won't be part of a war that I believe is criminal."