Josh Key

Infobox Military Person
name=Joshua Key
born= birth year and age|1978
died=


caption=
nickname=
placeofbirth= Guthrie, Oklahoma
placeofdeath=
placeofburial=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Army (now deserted)
serviceyears=2003 -
rank= Private
unit=
commands=
battles=Iraq War
awards=
relations=
laterwork= various

Joshua Key is a United States soldier, who deserted during the Iraq War, and is a current resident of Canada. He is the author, with Lawrence Hill, of "The Deserter's Tale", a book chronicling his service in Iraq and his subsequent departure from military life.

Biography

Joshua Key was born in 1978 in Guthrie, Oklahoma, which is located just outside of Oklahoma City.

At age 20, he married Brandi Johnston and had four children.

Military service and desertion

In 2002 Key enlisted in the United States Army. He attended basic training and was stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado. He was deployed to the Middle East in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Key's tour of duty in Iraq lasted six and a half months and during that time, he took part in over 200 house-raids. When he returned home on leave, he deserted the Army and moved to Toronto, Canada and made a claim for asylum as a conscientious objector seeking refugee status. [http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/454497] [http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/080704/n070470A.html] He is currently represented by attorney Jeffry House.

On July 4th, 2008, Joshua Key won a Federal Court (Canada) appeal thus forcing the Canadian Refugee Board to re-examine his claim for refugee status in Canada. [cite web
url = http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/454497
title = U.S. deserter wins appeal
first = Colin
last = Perkel
publisher = The Canadian Press
date = 2008-07-04] [cite web
url = http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/080704/n070470A.html
title = Refugee board ordered to rehear U.S. war dodger's failed asylum bid
publisher = The Canadian Press
First = Colin
last = Perkel
date = 2008-07-04] [http://cas-ncr-nter03.cas-satj.gc.ca/rss/IMM-5923-06%20Summary.pdf] [http://cas-ncr-nter03.cas-satj.gc.ca/rss/IMM-5923-06%20Decision.pdf] [http://www.resisters.ca/WRSCRelease_july408_jkey.pdf] [http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/454497] [http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/080704/n070470A.html] [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080704.wclaim05/BNStory/National/home] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7491060.stm] The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's July 4, 2008 coverage of the story said that there is now a possibility that he "could qualify as a refugee." [cite web
url = http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/04/refugee-ruling.html
title = U.S. deserter could qualify as refugee: court
date = 2008-07-04
publisher = CBC News ]

On July 14, 2008, the Los Angeles Times referred to the July 4 ruling from Canada's Federal Court with these words:

"...we should take a second look at our procedures for dealing with soldiers who allege human rights violations -- before they become deserters… [If] we would prefer not to hear shameful allegations from our own deserters and be judged by our neighbors, we cannot lightly dismiss expressions of moral outrage..." [http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-canada14-2008jul14,0,6819170.story] [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1509676891.html?dids=1509676891:1509676891&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jul+14%2C+2008&author=Anonymous&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=A.16&desc=Conscience+on+trial%3B+The+Canadian+case+of+deserter+Joshua+Key+should+prompt+the+U.S.+to+do+some+soul-searching]

Key states he holds no known regrets about deserting the US Army, as illustrated on the back cover of "The Deserters Tale". In the book Key gives a short summary of his own life prior, during and after his tour of duty and subsequent desertion. In the book Key states being a witness to many troubling acts: systematic vandalism of Iraqi homes during house raids, murder of an Iraqi child, and sexual abuse of innocent women, all done by American serviceman and officers.

ee also

*List of Iraq War Resisters
*Nuremberg Principles Principle IV
* Nuremberg Principles and Canada [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Principles#Canada]
*Conscientious Objector
*Desertion
*Lawrence Hill

References

*Citation
last1 = Key | first1 = Joshua
last2 = Hill | first2 = Lawrence
title = The Deserter's Tale: The Story of an Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Away from the War in Iraq
publisher = Atlantic Monthly
date = June 2007
year = 2007
isbn = 0-87113-954-5

*Citation
last1 = Key | first1 = Joshua
last2 = Hill | first2 = Lawrence
title = The Deserter's Tale: The Story of an Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Away from the War in Iraq
publisher = House of Ansi Press
date = June 2007
year = 2007
isbn = 0-88784-208-9

See Lawrence Hill's Writings page for "The Deserter's Tale" [http://www.lawrencehill.com/the_deserters_tale.html]

External links

* Co-Author of "The Deserter's Tale", Lawrence Hill's website [http://www.lawrencehill.com/]
* "The Deserter’s Tale: The Story of an Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Away from the War in Iraq" [http://www.lawrencehill.com/the_deserters_tale.html]
*War Resisters Support Campaign
* Nov 24, 2007 article on Joshua Key by Lawrence Hill [http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=16d90480-ccf6-4e3d-9848-ae35143e7685&p=1]

Notes