Florida

National Guardsman classified as deserter

A U.S. soldier who refused to return to Iraq after seeing civilians killed reported Tuesday to his unit in Florida and said he would go to prison rather than take part in “an oil-driven war.”

Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia, who is seeking to be declared a conscientious objector, met with officials at his Florida National Guard unit after repeating his determination not to return to the Middle East and fight.

Guard spokesman Jon Myatt said Mejia has been classified as a deserter because he had been missing from his unit for more than 30 days.

Myatt said a warrant to arrest Mejia could be issued if he failed to appear today at Fort Stewart, Ga., from which his unit is deployed. He said Mejia had not been charged.

Mejia said he would report to the base today.

Oregon

Marriage licenses for gays approved

Benton County, home to Oregon State University, will become the state’s second county to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.

The county follows in the footsteps of Multnomah County, Oregon’s most populous, which has issued more than 2,200 licenses to gay couples since March 3.

Licenses will be available in Benton County starting March 24, County Commissioner Linda Modrell said Tuesday.

The motion was passed by county commissioners by a 2-1 vote.

Modrell said the decision was partly based on a nonbinding opinion issued last week by Oregon Atty. Gen. Hardy Myers, which said a ban on gay marriage probably violated Oregon’s constitution, although existing state law also prohibits the practice.