Robin Long

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Robin Long is a former U.S. Army private from Boise, Idaho. He served from 2003 to 2008 and trained at Fort Knox to become a tank commander. He came to believe the Iraq War was wrong after learning that weapons of mass destruction had not been found and after seeing abuse of detainees. He decided he could not participate and chose to leave the Army.

In 2005, Long went to Toronto, Canada, to seek asylum as a war resister. He applied for refugee status in 2006, but his claim was denied in February 2007. He moved to British Columbia in 2007 and tried to stay in Canada, but he was deported on July 15, 2008. He became the first U.S. army deserter to be sent back from Canada.

Back in the United States, Long was court-martialed at Fort Carson, Colorado, in August 2008. He pleaded guilty to desertion and received 15 months in prison, a reduction to the rank of private (E-1), and a dishonorable discharge. He served part of his sentence at the Miramar Naval Brig near San Diego.

Long wrote an open letter to President-elect Barack Obama in November 2008 asking for clemency or a pardon. In March 2009, two Canadian Members of Parliament visited him in prison, and he was released on July 9, 2009. His dishonorable discharge remained under appeal.

After his release, Long spoke publicly against the Iraq War and supported education and work in other fields. He faced family and practical challenges, including his wife’s MS benefits in Canada, which complicated a move to the United States. By August 2010, Long was living in San Francisco, doing odd jobs in gardening and carpentry to fund a massage-therapy program, and continuing to speak about his experiences. He also undertook speaking engagements, including a trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories in 2009.