American war deserter Darrell Anderson says Canada wasn't the safe haven he thought it would be as he announced his decision to return home to face his punishment.

Anderson plans to pack his bags and return home to Kentucky this weekend after settling in Toronto 1½ years ago when he fled the U.S. to avoid further service in Iraq. His wife, Gail Green, will join him.

Darrell Anderson and his Canadian wife, Gail Green, talk to CBC about his return to the U.S.
(CBC)

While Canada provided him an escape from serving in a war he'd come to resent, he says the time has been arduous.

His refugee bids have failed so he can't work here legally and he can't get health care.

"I'm just tired of sitting in limbo. I just want to get on with my life," said Anderson.

Criticizes participation in Afghanistan

Canada's military participation in Afghanistan has also left Anderson disappointed.

"I'm very critical of Canada. They're in Afghanistan doing the same things," he criticized. "The war on terror is all part of the wrong war."

Anderson is scheduled to appear before military officials for a court martial on Tuesday.

He hopes the military will be lenient with him because of the growing anti-war sentiment in the U.S. and his record while serving as a soldier.

Anderson served seven months on the front lines of Baghdad and Najaf. After being wounded by shrapnel, he was awarded a Purple Heart, a prestigious honour given to a wounded soldier.

'It will be the freest time in my life, because I'm standing up for what I believe in.'-Darrell Anderson

The military could decide to punish him with a dishonourable discharge or even a lengthy prison term.

Jail better than Iraq

But Anderson said he's prepared for whatever punishment they hand him, and even going to jail would be better than fighting in Iraq.

"It will be the freest time in my life, because I'm standing up for what I believe in," he said.

He claims during his time in Iraq, he refused an order to fire on a car full of innocent civilians that pulled up to a roadblock.

"I was ordered to open fire on two children and a mother and father in a car. I thought I was going to Iraq to protect my family, not to kill other innocent families like my family," he said.

If he had done another tour in Iraq, Anderson believes he would have started committing war crimes because of the "evil that builds inside you."

When Anderson returns, he plans to draw attention to war crimes allegedly committed by American soldiers in Iraq.