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Duty, Honor, Country 2007
An Open Letter to the New
Generation of Military Officers
Serving and Protecting Our Nation
By Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Lt. Col.,
USAF, ret., National Commander, The
Patriots
Dear Comrades in Arms,
You are facing challenges in 2007
that we of previous generations
never dreamed of. I.m just an
old fighter pilot (101 combat
missions in Vietnam, F-4 Phantom,
Phu Cat, 1969-1970) who.s now a
disabled veteran with terminal
cancer from Agent Orange. Our
mailing list (over 22,000) includes
veterans from all branches of the
service, all political parties, and
all parts of the political spectrum.
We are Republicans and Democrats,
Greens and Libertarians,
Constitutionists and Reformers, and
a good many Independents. What
unites us is our desire for a
government that (1) follows the
Constitution, (2) honors the truth,
and (3) serves the people.
We see our government going down the
wrong path, all too often ignoring
military advice, and
heading us toward great danger. And
we look to you who still serve as
the best hope for protecting our
nation from disaster.
We see the current Iraq War as
having been unnecessary, entered
into under false pretenses, and
horribly mismanaged by the civilian
authorities. Thousands of our brave
troops have been needlessly
sacrificed in a futile attempt at
occupation of a hostile land. Many
more thousands have suffered wounds
which will change their lives
forever. Tens of thousands have
severe psychological problems
because of what they have seen and
what they have done. Potentially
hundreds of thousands could be
poisoned by depleted uranium, with
symptoms appearing years later, just
as happened to us exposed to Agent
Orange. The military services are
depleted and demoralized. The VA
system is under-funded and
overwhelmed. The National Guard and
Reserves have been subjected to tour
after tour, disrupting lives for
even the lucky ones who return
intact. Jobs have been lost,
marriages have been destroyed, homes
have been foreclosed, and children
have been estranged. And for what?
We have lost allies, made new
enemies, and created thousands of
new terrorists, further endangering
the American people.
But you know all this. I.m sure you
also see the enormous danger in a
possible attack on Iran,
possibly with nuclear weapons. Such
an event, seriously contemplated by
the Cheney faction of the Bush
administration, would make enemies
of Russia and China and turn us into
the number one rogue nation on
earth. The effect on our long-term
national security would be
devastating.
Some of us had hoped that the new
Democratic Congress would end the
occupation of Iraq and
take firm steps to prevent an attack
on Iran, perhaps by impeaching Bush
and Cheney. These hopes have been
dashed. The lily-livered Democrats
have caved in, turning their backs
on those few (like
Congressman Jack Murtha) who
understand the situation. Many of us
have personally walked the halls of
Congress, to no avail.
This is where you come in.
We know that many of you share our
concern and our determination to
protect our republic from
an arrogant, out-of-control,
imperial presidency and a compliant,
namby-pamby Congress (both of which
are unduly influenced by the oil
companies and other big-money
interests). We know that you (like
us) wouldn.t have pursued a military
career unless you were idealistic
and devoted to our nation and its
people. (None of us do it for the
pay and working conditions!) But we
also recognize that you may not see
how you can influence these events.
We in the military have always had a
historic subservience to civilian
authority.
Perhaps I can help with whatever
wisdom I.ve gathered from age (I
retired in 1978, so I am ancient
indeed).
Our oath of office is to .protect
and defend the Constitution of the
United States against all
enemies, foreign and domestic..
Might I suggest that this includes a
rogue president and vice-president?
Certainly we are bound to carry out
the legal orders of our superiors.
But the Uniform Code of Military
Justice (UCMJ) which binds all of us
enshrines the Nuremberg Principles
which this country established after
World War II (which you are too
young to remember). One of those
Nuremberg Principles says that we in
the military have not only the
right, but also the DUTY to refuse
an illegal order. It was on this
basis that we executed Nazi officers
who were .only carrying out their
orders..
The Constitution which we are sworn
to uphold says that treaties entered
into by the United States
are the .highest law of the land,.
equivalent to the Constitution
itself. Accordingly, we in the
military are
sworn to uphold treaty law,
including the United Nations charter
and the Geneva Convention.
Based on the above, I contend that
should some civilian order you to
initiate a nuclear attack on
Iran (for example), you are
duty-bound to refuse that order. I
might also suggest that you should
consider whether the circumstances
demand that you arrest whoever gave
the order as a war criminal.
I know for a fact that in recent
history (once under Nixon and once
under Reagan), the military
nuclear chain of command in the
White House discussed these things
and were prepared to refuse an order
to .nuke Russia.. In effect they
took the (non-existent) .button. out
of the hands of the President.. We
were thus never quite as close to
World War III as many feared, no
matter how irrational any president
might have become. They determined
that the proper response to any such
order was, .Why, sir?. Unless there
was (in their words) a .damn good
answer,. nothing was going to
happen.
I suggest that if you in this
generation have not had such a
discussion, perhaps it is time you
do.
In hindsight, it.s too bad such a
discussion did not take place prior
to the preemptive .shock and awe.
attack on Baghdad. Many of us at the
time spoke out vehemently that such
an attack would be an
impeachable offense, a war crime
against the people of Iraq, and
treason against the United States of
America. But our voices were drowned
out and never reached the ears of
the generals in 2003. I now
regret that I never sent a letter
such as this at that time, but
depended on the corporate media to
carry my message. I must not make
that mistake again.
Also in hindsight, President Bush
could be court-martialed for abuse
of power as Commander-in-
Chief. Vice President Cheney could
probably be court-martialed for his
performance as Acting
Commander-in-Chief in the White
House bunker the morning of
September 11, 2001.
We in the U.S. military would never
consider a military coup, removing
an elected president and
installing one of our own. But
following our oath of office,
obeying the Nuremberg Principles,
and
preventing a rogue president from
committing a war crime is not a
military coup. If it requires the
detention of executive branch
officials, we will not impose a
military dictatorship. We will let
the
Constitutional succession take
place. This is what we are sworn to.
This is protecting the Constitution,
our highest obligation. In 2007,
this is what is meant by .Duty,
Honor, Country..
Thank you all for your service to
this nation. May God bless America,
and sustain us in this
difficult time. And thanks for
listening to the musings of an old
junior officer.
Respectfully,
Robert M. Bowman, PhD, Lt. Col.,
USAF, ret.
1494 Patriot Dr, Melbourne, FL 32940
home phone (321) 752-5955; cell
(321) 258-0582
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