Stuart Harrison, Toronto
A 23-year-old sergeant in the US National Guard has become the latest deserter from the US military the September 1 Toronto Star reported. Corey Glass signed up for an eight year National Guard stint in 2002, believing he would be doing humanitarian work during natural disasters. However, Glass ended up serving in Iraq.
"They told me I was signing up for the humanitarian branch, where we would help during floods and natural disasters, things like that. The only way we would be activated is if there were troops on the ground in the States. That's what they led me to believe", he explained.
After three years in Indiana, he was sent to a military base in California. After only two weeks at the base he was deployed to Iraq.
"I knew the war was wrong before I went, but I signed a contract and I was going to fulfil my end of the bargain, right or wrong and eventually my conscience just caught up with me", he said.
After five months of his 18-month term in Iraq, Glass told his superiors he wanted to be sent home. He was told he was simply stressed and was given a two-week break back in the US.
"I felt horrible for being a part of it. If I could apologise to those people [Iraqis], every single one, I would", Harrison said.
After seven months in hiding, he fled to Toronto, where he is currently seeking refugee status with the help of the War Resisters Support Campaign.
According to the WRSC, nine other US deserters are currently located in Canada including Jeremy Hinzman, whose refugee status was rejected by the Immigration and Refugee Board. Hinzman is currently having his case heard by the Federal Court of Appeal.
[Visit for more information about the War Resisters Support Campaign.]