| Agustin Aguayo | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Augie |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 2003–2007 |
| Rank | Specialist (reduced to Private First Class after court-martial) |
| Unit | 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division[1] |
| Commands held | FORSCOM, V Corps |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
| Awards | National Defense Service Medal Iraq Campaign Medal |
| Other work | Conscientious Objector Advocate |
Agustin Aguayo is a veteran of the Iraq War and was convicted of desertion by a court martial March 6, 2007. He is an Amnesty International declared "Prisoner of Conscience".[2]
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Agustin Aguayo enlisted in the United States Army in 2003, the same year which Operation Iraqi Freedom started. Aguayo was trained by the Army as a combat infantryman. After his advanced individual training he was stationed in Germany, and was soon deployed to the Middle East.
Agustin Aguayo was notified his unit would be returned to Iraq and instead missed his unit's movement to that theater of operations. When military police came to his family home in September, 2006, he climbed out of the bathroom window, going AWOL in Germany for 24 days.[3] He was later apprehended and imprisoned for seven months while awaiting court-martial on charges of Missed Movement and Desertion. His conviction occurred March 6, 2007. He was released from prison in April 2007 and given a bad conduct discharge.
Aguayo received a German Peace Prize on December 21, 2007.[4]