A US Army medic on trial in Germany for refusing to return to Iraq pleaded guilty today to going absent without leave but denied charges of full desertion.
Agustin Aguayo (35) faces up to seven years in prison, a dishonourable discharge and loss of pay for leaving his base in Schweinfurt, Germany, in September 2006, and failing to deploy with his unit.
Mr Aguayo, who has fought for three years to be recognised as a conscientious objector, served one term as a medic in Iraq in 2004, during which he said he refused to load his gun while on guard duty.
He failed to show up when his unit redeployed to Iraq last year and then fled his base, going missing for several weeks before turning himself over in California.
His attorney said his attempts to be recognised as an objector could make a difference in the sentencing, although he cannot use that as a defence in the trial, which is being held in the Bavarian city of Wuerzburg.
His case follows the high-profile trial in February of First Lieut Ehren Watada - the first known court martial of a US Army officer for publicly refusing to serve in Iraq. That court martial ended in a mistrial.
A deserter is defined by the US Department of Defence as a member of the armed forces who is absent from their unit or post without authorisation, quits their unit to avoid duty or enlists improperly in another service. It can also apply to people who are absent without leave for 30 straight days or more.
The Department of Defence recorded a total of 4494 deserters in 2005, according to official data.