GreenKnight
I suspect the answer lies in getting the US mil to pay for some decent education and qualifications while hoping for a posting to somewhere like Japan or Europe.
Alternatively, they joined up since 2003 knowing that they would probably get sent somewhere hot and sandy, always planning to make a well publicised stand against the war.
Either way, in my book, the bottom line was that they refused a legal order from a superior officer, so they deserve their time at the correctional facility.