<p>Supporters and family of a solider who refused to return to Iraq after a two-week leave voiced their support for his request to be considered a conscientious objector to the war Wednesday.</p><p>Former Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia, 28, was convicted in a military court in Fort Stewart, Ga., of desertion on May 21 after refusing to return to his Florida National Guard unit after a two-week leave in October.</p><p>He was sentenced to a year in a military prison, received a dishonorable discharge and was reduced in rank from a staff sergeant to a private. Mejia is serving his sentence at the Fort Sill Regional Correctional Facility.</p><p>A military hearings officer from Fort Stewart was expected to hear arguments at a closed hearing on whether Mejia deserves to be considered a conscientious objector.</p><p>A report from the hearing will be forwarded to the Department of the Army, which will make the final determination on his request. If the military approves his request, Mejia will be given an honorable discharge.</p><p>Mejia's attorneys said his experiences during the 5 1/2 months he spent in Iraq made him a conscientious objector to the war.</p><p>In his objector application, Mejia claims he saw Iraqi prisoners treated cruelly, while he was overseeing the processing of detainees at al-Assad, an Iraqi air base occupied by U.S. forces.</p><p>"The way we treated these men was hard even for the soldiers, especially after realizing that many of these 'combatants' were no more than shepherds," Mejia wrote.</p><p>Mejia's mother, Maritza Castillo, said in Spanish, through an interpreter, that her son is "a real honest and true conscientious objector.</p><p>"He listened to a higher power, which is the voice of his conscience," she said. "This is an illegal and immoral war that only brings suffering to all of us."</p><p>Castillo said she recently visited her son in the detention center and that he appears to be doing well.</p><p>"Camilo's always in harmony with himself and he's at peace with his decision," she said.</p><p>Dave Collins, a Vietnam veteran from Johnson City, Texas, attended a vigil for Mejia outside Fort Sill's gates.</p><p>Collins said it's not uncommon for veterans to develop moral opposition to war once they have served in combat.</p><p>"You don't wake up one morning and decide what you are doing is wrong," said Collins, a member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. "Camilo has demonstrated that this is not a matter of cowardice."</p><p>In Lawton, located about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, residents are known for their patriotism.</p><p>The community of about 80,500 people has rallied around its troops and mourned the loss of 18 Fort Sill soldiers killed in combat in Iraq.</p><p>Larry Courtney, 50, arrived at the protest with an American flag to show support for troops in Iraq.</p><p>"If he (Mejia) thought he was going to be a conscientious objector he never should have sign on to be in the military," said Courtney, who served in the Army for two years. "When you commit your life to serving your country, you don't just change your mind midstream."</p><p>Raymond Schmidt, 40, owner of a military surplus store located across the street from the protest and the son of a career serviceman, said he believes Mejia deserved to be punished.</p><p>"If he deserted he should be tried for desertion," Schmidt said. "He signed up knowing someday he'd have to fill a role."</p><p>Schmidt said he didn't have a problem with the protesters across the street, but added: "Those folks don't look like they'll be good for business."</p><p>When Courtney approached with an American flag, Lawton resident Diron Watkins, 37, said he was glad to see a counter-protest.</p><p>"I'm glad somebody came out to show support for the troops," said Watkins, who works at a pawn shop near the protest site. "I was happy to see that fella. I want to go give him a beer."</p>
