Michael New was a soldier who dared to stand up for US sovereignty.

by Gilbert A. Lewthwaite
THE BALTIMORE SUN
October 13, 1995 | Washington

WASHINGTON — A U.S. soldier faces punishment as early as today for refusing to wear the blue patch and cap of a United Nations peacekeeper.

Spc. Michael New is the first U.S. soldier to refuse to wear the U.N. insignia, according to Army spokesman Lt. Col. Bill Harkey. How the Army handles his case will set a precedent for dealing with breaches of an increasingly controversial and frequent part of military service — assignment to the United Nations.

His defiance touches a sensitive national political nerve as conservative opposition to U.S. troops serving under foreign — .. and particularly U.N. — command grows on Capitol Hill.

Read More: Model U.S. soldier refuses U.N. duty Medic says he joined to serve America, not a ‘foreign power’