Post by dustdevil28 on Jun 15, 2005 0:37:43 GMT -8
Charles Robert Jenkins defected to N. Korea back in 1965. During his time there he met and married a kidnapped Japanese woman named Hitomi Soga and fathered two children with her.
Soga was released by N. Korea some time ago where she returned to Japan to tell about Jenkins and lobby for his release. The Japanese were very sypathetic to Soga and wanted the Japanese govt to allow Jenkins to live in Japan without fear of arrest by U.S. officials. Jenkins stayed in N. Korea with the hopes the Jap govt would be able to talk the U.S. into leinancy for Jenkins.
The U.S. supposedly didn't relent and Jenkins came to Japan last August. After a brief stay at a hospital Jenkins turned himself into U.S. custody. Jenkins was court martialed and plead guilty to desertion and aiding the enemy. This aiding included voluntarily taking part in propaganda films trying to intice more soilders to defect to N. Korea. For this Jenkins was given 30 days in Jail and relesed to live with his wife in Japan.
When this story was going on I remember having mixed feelings about Jenkins. As I thought the last 40 years in N. Korea weren't great for Jenkins. He's talked of deprivation, isolation and forced labor during his time there, but still the man ran to one of our worst enemies and helped them. He's since stated that he deserted because he was afraid of being sent to Vietnam.
My one hope would be that he never returned to the U.S. Well now he has. Jenkins has returned to visit his 91 year old mother who may not live much longer. Reation in his home town of N. Carolina are not to kind and he isn't expected to visit the town much. I hope his mother can say her good byes to her son who she hasn't seen for 40 years and go in peace. As for Jenkins, I hope he leaves ASAP back to Japan.
www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Deserter_Returns.html
Soga was released by N. Korea some time ago where she returned to Japan to tell about Jenkins and lobby for his release. The Japanese were very sypathetic to Soga and wanted the Japanese govt to allow Jenkins to live in Japan without fear of arrest by U.S. officials. Jenkins stayed in N. Korea with the hopes the Jap govt would be able to talk the U.S. into leinancy for Jenkins.
The U.S. supposedly didn't relent and Jenkins came to Japan last August. After a brief stay at a hospital Jenkins turned himself into U.S. custody. Jenkins was court martialed and plead guilty to desertion and aiding the enemy. This aiding included voluntarily taking part in propaganda films trying to intice more soilders to defect to N. Korea. For this Jenkins was given 30 days in Jail and relesed to live with his wife in Japan.
When this story was going on I remember having mixed feelings about Jenkins. As I thought the last 40 years in N. Korea weren't great for Jenkins. He's talked of deprivation, isolation and forced labor during his time there, but still the man ran to one of our worst enemies and helped them. He's since stated that he deserted because he was afraid of being sent to Vietnam.
My one hope would be that he never returned to the U.S. Well now he has. Jenkins has returned to visit his 91 year old mother who may not live much longer. Reation in his home town of N. Carolina are not to kind and he isn't expected to visit the town much. I hope his mother can say her good byes to her son who she hasn't seen for 40 years and go in peace. As for Jenkins, I hope he leaves ASAP back to Japan.
www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Deserter_Returns.html
