Woman Deserter Heads Home

Kimberly Rivera, a first class army private stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado, is heading back to America after refusing to return to Iraq and deserting. She has been living in Toronto, Canada, for the last three years with her husband and children. Canadian authorities declined her request to remain on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. She may be liable for a prison sentence of up to five years when she eventually faces a court martial. Four other American deserters who sought refuge in Canada also face deportation. There are believed to be about 200 American deserters in Canada, many of them living under false names to avoid discovery. During the Vietnam War, up to 90,000 Americans successfully sought asylum in Canada, most of them to avoid the military draft.