Victor Agosto and Travis Bishop: WAR RESISTERS!

First off, this is in no way intended to disrespect these two individuals. This isn't an attack on their character (because I don't personally know them), it's more of a personal comment. I recently heard about this issue going public when a friend mentioned it to me while we were volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. I didn't intend to comment on this issue at first, that is until I read what they have said.
Allow me introduce myself a little, so you know where I am coming from and won't think I'm someone talking about something I don't know nothing about.
I have serve under the same unit banner, and was also part of the last deployment with these two soldiers. I have been in COB Speicher, COB Sykes, COB Stryker, Camp Washington, COB Victory, BIAP, and etc. During my deployment, I have worked in 8 hour shifts to 12 hour shifts (majority of them 12 on - 12 off). I've had schedules where I would work 6 days a week to not having a day off for a month or two. I've done missions and duties ranging from guarding/escorting Third World Nations to E.C.P., Up Armoring Vehicles (form 1st CAV units to Special Forces units) to working in a COMMTEAM, providing communications to a whole Contingency Operating Base (COB). Though I am also "Stop-Loss" I am currently under going a Medical Evaluation Board due to injuries I have sustained during my deployment and services in the Army.
Now that I have established my credentials allow me to comment. "It's a matter of what I'm willing to live with." "I'm not willing to participate in this occupation, knowing it is completely wrong." "What I did there, I know I contributed to death and human suffering. It's hard to quantify how much I caused, but I know I contributed to it." These are the words of Spc Victor Agosto. So what you're telling us is that you are willing to not help out a country that is being terrorized daily, you're not willing to help contribute in an effort to stop the mass killing of innocent people in the streets and in their homes. You are okay with knowing that you and I are fortunate enough to be born, raised, and live in a Country where you can say all this and not be executed where you stand. You're okay with turning your back on your fellow man who wants the same Freedom? You'd rather choose jail time over protecting your battles six? What if, Lord forbid, you got news that a close friend died during this deployment in a fire fight where he was out numbered? Would you be okay not knowing that maybe if you were there, everybody would be convoying back to base?
We're "commo," we help provide various types of communications down range. We are the reason why soldiers get to say, " I love you" to their love ones during their lunch time or day off. We are the reason why soldiers get to hear their 3 month old baby cry thousands of miles away. We're the reason why a whole convey was able to reroute away from a road filled with I.E.D.'s. We're the reason why family member's are able to know that their son/daughter is safe for another day. This is weird to say, but we are also the reason why a mother knows the following day that her son/daughter was killed in combat during a raid, instead of worrying for a weeks about why their child hasn't called to greet them a Happy Birthday. We are the reason why someone's last words before they went in that missions was "I love you, I miss you, and I'm proud of you." We are the reason why soldiers can call up their loves to tell them that they're safe and weren't pulling guard during the time that suicide bombing in the market happened that's being shown in television right now. That is what we do when we serve during deployment.
I don't under stand why people act the way they do after they signed the "dotted line." There are many things we didn't know we'd be doing while in the Army, but deploying was the one thing we did know! To all the AWOL's and Anti-war soldiers in service, not only did you joined a military establishment, but most likely you joined after September 11, 2001 (a time of war). Do you know how stupid that makes you look, when you say and act like this. I hope you guys and gals know what you stand for now, because it's no longer selfless service and honor.
Sgt Bishop, you said that "My father said, 'Do only what you can live with, because every morning you have to look at your face in the mirror when you shave. Ten years from now, you'll still be shaving the same face.' If I had deployed to Afghanistan, I don't think I would have been able to look into another mirror again." Now that you can look at your face in the mirror everyday now, can you do me one favor. Can you shave your face every morning for a year and walk up to one random person a day who resides in Afghanistan or Iraq and let them know that you weren't willing to help them out in any way? Or how about go up to a highly decorated vet and tell him that he didn't need to do what he did during he's time in service. Or how about something easy, write an email to I.P.S. and address it to all the families who have Medal of Honor members in their family, and let them know that if they had turned their backs, they would have lived to be at least 40. With that single email, you knocked out a flock of birds with one stone.
And for people who don't know, everybody who joins the military signs an eight year contract. The only thing that varies form person to person is how many years in those eight years will you be serving in active status. So technically we have an eight year service obligation. So lets say you have a three years active/five years IRR (Individual Ready Reserve) contract and you get "stop-loss," 99% of the time the Army is just asking you to add an additional year in your active service. So now, that makes it 4 years active service/4 years IRR. That's what happens when soldiers get "stop-loss" so don't be fooled people, an additional year is better than the whole eight years.

P.S.
I joined because when my father was young he wanted to joined, but wasn't able to. So I served for him and though he worries everyday he's extremely proud of what I do.