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Show ditorials fhat Price Freedom ? 1 In the hurried pace of this modern day and age, does 'one ever stop to ask themselves about "freedom?" We Hder if any citizen ever gives it a second thought. Is nough to say, "I'll fight for my country if need be?" i wonder if a person would actually want to defend "country if there were no real war. What price free-j? free-j? Is fighting in Vietnam a threat to this country's dom? A young soldier in Texas apparently doesn't i;eve it is. Private-first-class Winstel R. Belton, 26, went on a "ger strike in August at Fort Benning, Ga., as his out-prepared out-prepared to ship out for Vietnam. Still on his hunger e, he was transferred to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, f court martial proceedings. ! A five-man military court sentenced the f or- !if All-American halfback from Eastern Arizona Junior lege to five years imprisonment, a dishonorable dis-rge dis-rge and loss of all pay and allowances. But here's where the story gets rather sticky. Un-wn Un-wn to the court, the "Army" (the private's command-officer) command-officer) had made a deal with the soldier, saying if ton would plead guilty, the soldier would serve only , year in prison, receive a bad conduct discharge and ; of pay. This saves the Army time and expense, and I jrally, saves the soldier from harsher treatment. And, ii )rdmg to the Army's Military Court of Appeals, this s e of agreement can be reached if the plea is made by soldier or his defense lawyer. Apparently this was !le' The whole situation was confused further when the (iy came out saying the entire sentence would be sus-ded sus-ded if the private would serve the rest of his two-year f h. An Army spokesman said Belton would be reassign- to Viet Nam just as soon as the court martial was red. It seems to us the soldier is afraid of "war duty" in -Jt Nam. To our knowledge he has neither stated public-3j)r public-3j)r privately that he is a conscientious objector, nor j: 5 he believe the fighting in Vietnam would honestly I Herewith his "ethical beliefs." : The defense made a deal with the commanding offi-,;. offi-,;. once the going got rough and now the whole sen-;e sen-;e would be removed is he was willing to go to Viet-;, Viet-;, 1 for the remaining "months" of his two-year program. Once again, may we ask this question what price gdom? How far does a man have to go to serve his ltfy? Is there really such a person as a "patriot?" s too bad we can't pose all those questions to the 'sands of men and women who have died while serv- l lr country on the battlefields of the world. |