Today we commemorate the people who put their lives at risk with the goal of preserving ours. As Richard Weaver once explained, the true soldier is not a thoughtless brute but rather the last defender of reason, the ultima ratio when all other attempts have failed.
It is tragic that the modern federal government sends these heroes into harm's way for illegal and immoral reasons. America's wars today are undeclared by Congress, and they often violate the sacred principles laid down at Nuremberg and in the United Nations Charter, as I've explained in various previous posts.
I would encourage all people in uniform to take your faith (if any) in God and your oath to uphold the Constitution just as seriously as you take your missions. If you honestly believe that fighting a particular war or following a particular order comports with the supreme law of God or of the United States, then do what you must and prevail. However, if your conscience tells you that something is unjust or illegal, then once again do what you must and stand down. "Following orders" wasn't a sufficient argument during the tribunals held at Nuremberg or Tokyo, and it is not a sufficient argument to preserve your soul.
Either way you decide, most of us do thank you.
I would encourage all people in uniform to take your faith (if any) in God and your oath to uphold the Constitution just as seriously as you take your missions. If you honestly believe that fighting a particular war or following a particular order comports with the supreme law of God or of the United States, then do what you must and prevail. However, if your conscience tells you that something is unjust or illegal, then once again do what you must and stand down. "Following orders" wasn't a sufficient argument during the tribunals held at Nuremberg or Tokyo, and it is not a sufficient argument to preserve your soul.
Either way you decide, most of us do thank you.
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