about that oath

When I joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1966, I was surprised to learn that while I was on active duty defending the Constitution, I had precious few Constitutional rights. Instead, unless it involved a civilian arrest, legal matters were resolved through the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Minor offenses were covered by Article 15 of the Code. Typically, errant enlisted Leathernecks would go before their commanding officer and receive anything from a reprimand to a reduction in rank.

I don’t remember much about taking the oath. It was at an induction center. But the one phrase that really stuck with me was that we were to “obey all lawful orders”. This didn’t really reverberate in my psyche until I did riot control training when I was stationed on Okinawa. It was spring of 1968 and the anti-war movement was heating up in the states. As we were learning to quell rebellious college students, I was struck by a nagging thought: could I really do this against other Americans?

Fortunately, I never faced that dilemma. I was, in fact, on the other side of the crowd shortly after I got out of the service. My wife and I participated in the 1969 October moratorium in New Orleans, where my three-year-old son, perched on my shoulders, delighted the crowd by flashing everyone the peace sign.

I can’t tell you how much I admire the six legislators who created the “lawful orders” video. They are risking so much in a time when any idiot who can use a phone or computer can be a danger. Their leader Trump is clearly threatened, trying to prosecute the six, if he can find the flimsiest excuse.

Not gonna happen, Aging Orange. These six are the diametric opposite of you. One of them, Mark Kelly, flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. He flew four space missions, all of them, he jokes, in crafts “built by the lowest bidders”. If Donny Jay continues his bumbling bullying, he could be looked back on as the man who launched Kelly’s presidential campaign.