|
Soldier interviewed in fahrenheit in trouble Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-07-28-fahrenheit-marine_x.htmhttp://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-07-28-fahrenheit-marine_x.htm
'Fahrenheit' soldier in hot water?
By Gary Strauss, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Fahrenheit 9/11 transformed Marine Lance Cpl. Abdul Henderson into an internationally known war protester. Now it could get him in legal trouble.
When asked on screen by director Michael Moore whether he planned to return to fight in Iraq, Henderson said no.
"The question kind of surprised me, because I wasn't expecting it," says Henderson, a reservist who saw combat for about two months after the Iraq war began. "But my answer came from the heart."
The scene, along with others in which Henderson accompanies Moore to Capitol Hill as Moore tries to enlist members of Congress to send their kids off to fight, was filmed last March.
With his unit facing a possible autumn return to Iraq, Henderson says he isn't changing his mind. "I'm conflicted because as a soldier, you're compelled to the call of duty — that's what I signed up for," Henderson says. "But I'm standing up for what I believe in."
The Marine Corps is conducting a preliminary inquiry into Henderson's appearance in Fahrenheit 9/11. Marine spokesman Capt. Patrick Kerr says authorities need to decide whether any action is warranted. "He made it very clear that he would not follow orders," Kerr says. "We're trying to determine what, if anything, he said or did was wrong" and what the punishment might be.
Henderson faces harsher penalties if he fails to report for a second Iraq tour. "Technically, he'd be a deserter," Kerr says. Punishment could range from an administrative discharge to a court-martial, which could land Henderson in a military prison for up to a year, Kerr says.
During early stages of the war, Henderson's unit, an ANGLCO (Air Naval Gunfire Liaison company), radioed air and artillery support for British coalition forces. He saw combat and won the Marine Corps Achievement Medal after trying to rescue British soldiers who were trapped in an overturned vehicle.
Armed with documents citing outstanding performance during five years as a reservist, the bespectacled, soft-spoken Henderson describes himself as a patriot.
"When this country goes to war, everyone should pitch in," says Henderson, a business major at California State University-Los Angeles. "As a soldier, that's what I signed up for."
Still, invading Iraq made no sense to Henderson, 29. Neither, he says, does returning. "I'd go to Afghanistan" because it's harboring terrorists, he says. "But Iraq? Where's the imminent threat?"
Henderson joined the Marine reserves in 1999. Before Iraq, he planned to become an officer and helicopter pilot. Now, he hopes to complete his six-year obligation and earn an MBA.
Henderson says a Moore staffer contacted him after he showed up at congressional hearings last fall with military families who were against the war. His appearance in the movie has drawn fire from conservatives. But Henderson has heard nothing from superiors since Fahrenheit 9/11's launch June 23.
"I expect trouble, but who knows?" Henderson says. "They never told us not to give our opinions of how we felt. It probably helps that I'm a reservist and not a full-time Marine."
Henderson, who describes himself as a spiritual Christian, says he prefers to remain out of the limelight. He's spending the summer in Washington, D.C., where he is helping his wife, a doctoral student at Howard University, tend to their newborn son. Citing a need for privacy, Henderson declined to reveal their names.
|
|
