By Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-Bulletin (Honolulu)
September 25, 2009
 link to www.starbulletin.com
With little fanfare, the Army at Fort Lewis in Washington state
accepted the resignation of the 1996 Kalani High School graduate last
Friday and he will be discharged during the first week in October.
Rather than seek a second court martial against the infantry officer,
the Army will grant Watada a discharge "under other than honorable
conditions."
Joseph J. Piek, Fort Lewis spokesman, said "this is an administrative
discharge and the characterization of Lt. Watada's discharge is not
releasable under the privacy act."
Watada, 31, told the *Star-Bulletin* an phone interview today that he
was "glad to finally bring this chapter to a close and to move on."
"The actual outcome is different from the outcome that I envisioned in
the first place, but I am grateful of the outcome."
Watada said there were "many skilled lawyers" who represented him and
that he was "thankful to the people from all walks of life that
supported me and agreed with my stand."
In May, Watada won a significant legal victory when the U.S.
Department of Justice dropped efforts to retry him. The Army had
wanted to appeal U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle's decision last
October that a second court-martial would violate Watada's
constitutional protection against double jeopardy.
Following the Justice Department's decision, the Army made it clear
the only course available to Watada is what the Army calls
"Resignation for the Good of the Service in Lieu of General
Court-Martial," he said. Either Watada could voluntarily resign or be
forced out with a discharge "under other than honorable conditions."
Either way, Watada said today, the result would be the same except it
would take longer if he was forced out.
Watada said he turned his resignation papers in July and it was
approved by the commanding general at Fort Lewis and sent to his
higher headquarters. Watada learned of the Army's final approval on
Sept. 18.
Watada was initially charged with missing the 2nd Infantry Division's
3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team's deployment on June 22, 2006,
considered by the Army as the most serious charge, and conduct
unbecoming an officer.
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