Shut Up and Soldier

(Source)

As a rule I dislike most peace-time generals and admirals. They got their stars by not rocking the boat, by following the rules, in essence, by being a "company man," (or woman in these modern enlightened times). I seem to recall that in the Air Force, getting a new Air Force Chief of Staff brought uniform changes "just because." (I'm a general, I think our officers should all wear Royal Air Force type rank. Also, make the uniform look like a poorly cut business suit, not a military uniform. Yes, I lived through Merrill McPeak.)

As an enlisted guy I seldom got to hobnob with the star-bedecked upper echelons of the Air Force, but from a distance we all carefully noted their behavior, both on and off duty. FWIW, one of those flag officers in that opening picture is known personally by a member of my immediate family. An honorable guy, a likable guy, still and all, there was much he could have done (according to some) during his tenure on the Joint Chiefs, which some have argued he did not. I won't judge him by that, you do what the boss wants as long as it's Constitutional. FWIW, Obama was the boss for most of his tenure on the Joint Chiefs.

A further point I will make is that, unlike the enlisted oath, the oath sworn by officers in the Federal service makes no mention of the President of the United States.

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

One should, however, bear in mind that the President is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, Article 2, Section 2 -

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

So you flag officers work for that guy in the White House, irrespective of how you personally feel about him (or her). If the occupant of that office bugs you that much, resign your damned commission.

I would also note that the Constitution dictates precisely how the President of the United States is chosen and what the qualifications are for holding that office. Also the circumstances under which a President can be removed from said office before the expiration of his or her term.

Recently a retired admiral (Navy, not Coast Guard, and whose name I will not mention) had an opinion piece in the New York Times (yes, it's behind a pay wall but you should be able to get a "one time good deal" for one article a month without signing anything) which, as they say, went up my ass sideways. (Pardon my French, though in French that would be roughly monta mon cul de côté.)

Seems the admiral has decided that the legally elected President of the United States needs to be shown the door. Primarily (as I read it) because the President no longer wishes to keep troops scattered around the world (though in this particular instance I gather that the esteemed admiral is really concerned about the Kurds, in Syria) fighting someone else's war. There I said it.

The admiral mentions the Greatest Generation -

We were reminded that the Greatest Generation went to war because it believed that we were the good guys — that wherever there was oppression, tyranny or despotism, America would be there. (Source)

Nope, they went to war because the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. They didn't really give a crap that the Japanese had been killing Chinese by the thousands since the 1930s, nor that the Nazis were busy killing Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Danes, Norwegians, Belgians, Dutch, British, Russians and others for quite some time before the Japanese fleet had even sortied to attack Hawaii. That whole "we're the good guys" shtick gets old after a while. We're not the world's policeman nor should we be.

Lyndon B. Johnson (hack-ptooie) once said "We are not about to send American boys 9 or 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves." Perhaps the only thing he said as a politician which made sense.

And yes, of course he was lying. (58,220 Americans can attest to that, or would if they were still alive.)

I have no problem with the admiral's personal opinion of what the country should (or should not) do when it comes to fighting other people's wars, but the implication that he and certain other flag officers feel that the President is "destroying the Republic" and should be removed from office is sedition, pure and simple.

These men and women, of all political persuasions, have seen the assaults on our institutions: on the intelligence and law enforcement community, the State Department and the press. They have seen our leaders stand beside despots and strongmen, preferring their government narrative to our own. They have seen us abandon our allies and have heard the shouts of betrayal from the battlefield. As I stood on the parade field at Fort Bragg, one retired four-star general, grabbed my arm, shook me and shouted, “I don’t like the Democrats, but Trump is destroying the Republic!” (Source)

 Sedition, which is conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch, is a pretty serious crime -

18 U.S.C. § 2384 - U.S. Code - Unannotated Title 18. Crimes and Criminal Procedure § 2384. Seditious conspiracy 

If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both. (Source)

What the Hell is going on at the upper echelons of our society?

Seems like a Federal investigation might be in order, to look at actual crimes (like sedition) as opposed to imaginary ones. Oh, that oath you swore? Doesn't expire and I do recall that retired military members can still be court martialed for violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Article 94 bro, you should read it.

As we conservatives often say to those in the entertainment industry espousing their political opinions, "Just shut up and sing." In this case, "Just shut up and soldier."

I worry about our future.

Your thoughts?





Yes, I used to respect that admiral. No more. And yes, I am livid about his opinion. YMMV