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Winter Soldier Europe
André Shepherd is a U.S. Army Specialist who applied for asylum in Germany on Nov. 26, 2008. He is the first Iraq War veteran to pursue refugee status in Europe and only the second U.S. soldier to ever apply for refugee status in Germany.
Shepherd became an Apache helicopter airframe mechanic, hoping to someday qualify up to the role of helicopter pilot. His first unit was deployed to Iraq when he completed his training. Shepherd spent six months on a forward operating base near Tikrit, working 12-hour days to keep the heavily armed Apaches (and their signature Hellfire missiles) in the air.
Shepherd decided that he could no longer support the war in Iraq. He felt he could not apply for conscientious objection because U.S. military regulations state a conscientious objector must have an objection to all war in all form. Shepherd's objection was not in opposition to all wars under any circumstances.
On April 11, 2007 Shepherd went absent without leave (AWOL) from his Katterbach base in Germany. Shepherd's application for asylum cites a European Union regulation providing refugee status to a soldier who is in danger of being prosecuted if military service "would include crimes or acts" which violate international law. The application refers to the Nuremberg Trials stating "It is established that a person cannot defend his or her actions by explaining that they had simply been following orders." In effect, Shepherd's asylum application calls on Germany to clarify the nature of its opposition to the war in Iraq.
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