I have seen a variety of memes
portraying MAJ Watson as a hero. Perhaps he is; but, we must also take into
account the fact that he violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice, better
known among service members as the USMJ. What most civilians do not realize is
that when one becomes a soldier, sailor, marine, or airman, one gives up or
accepts limitations on certain civil liberties, among them is free speech.
For example, it is against the UCMJ for
members of the armed services to speak against the president, our commander in
chief and other specified members of the government. For service members to
speak against the commander in chief exerts a corrosive effect on the chain of
command and the good order and discipline of the service. We are required to
obey lawful orders and have the right and responsibility to disobey unlawful
orders, but that is something different than criticizing the commander in
chief. Some may think that this is a severe curtailment of a service member’s
civil liberties, and it is. But this is part of the sacrifice required of a
life in the service of our nation.
This is why we in the military often
refer to it as, “the service.” We accept and embrace this concept. We may not
agree with our orders, but unless they violate the law or in extreme cases our
conscience, we must obey. We may not have voted for the person who holds the
office of President, but they are our commander and chief and due the respect
of the office. We serve, ultimately, at the pleasure of the President. I served
every president, from Regan to Obama. All of them made decisions that I liked
and decisions that I did not like; but, I served them all and accorded them the
respect due their office. It was all part of the discipline required of a life
in “the service” of something bigger than I am.
Major Watson was led away in
handcuffs. Should he find himself in front of a civilian judge, he might mount
a successful defense based on freedom of speech; however, I would expect that a
military court would find him guilty of violating the appropriate portion of
the UCMJ. So the questions remains, is Major Watson a hero or a villain?
As a civilian, I’m tempted to hold
him up as a hero, someone who took great risk to proclaim his thoughts in a
very public fashion. As a retired officer with over twenty years of active
service, I would say that he’s a villain, or guilty of a criminal offense at
the least. For a member of the armed services to stand up in uniform on the nation’s
capital and call for the impeachment and removal from office, of the President,
his commander-in-chief, is a criminal offense and does not improve the
situation in any way. So while I may admire his courage and commitment, I do
not respect his judgement.
We live in a time filled with
disagreement and division. Our duly elected president directs the military to
take what seem to be questionable actions. There are mechanisms in place to
deal with such contingencies; none of which include demonstrating on the steps
of the capital. And that is the challenge of a life devoted to military
service, in order to uphold the oath to protect and defend the Constitution
against all enemies, foreign and domestic service members must give up access
to some of the fundamental rights contained therein. Back to the questions at
hand, hero or villain?
It all depends upon how Major Watson
responds. Civil Disobedience is a time-honored method of protest. When one
engages in civil disobedience, one takes actions that are against the law,
willingly accepting the consequences of such actions. Should Major Watson
accept the punishment meted out without complaint, serving his sentence, then
he is a hero. Should he contest the results, claiming freedom of speech, then
he is a villain, someone who broke the law and seeks to avoid the punishment. In
this era of hyper-individualism, we may be tempted to label him as a hero, someone
who stood up to an authority figure we disdain; but, we would be wrong. As they
say, the ball is in his court…hero or villain.
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