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Marine colonel who resigned because of Trump says personnel should question ‘illegal orders’
(www.huffpost.com)
this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2025
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"The military will refuse illegal orders" is a fantasy and should absolutely not be counted on.
"Refuse illegal orders" is like the military version of "stop paying taxes and stop going to work" but at least a magnitude worse. It sounds good and virtuous but there are practical life-changing consequences for doing so.
UCMJ will chew you up and throw you to the side very quickly. Prison is almost a certainty. A dishonorable discharge hangs on you like a felony conviction. And that's assuming they won't use illegal force on you or your family.
Ucmj will screw you up if you do follow illegal orders too. There's a ucmj that everyone has the local obligation to refuse an illegal ordere
I mean that's probably why its best (for the individuals serving at least) to quit, once you quit you don't have to make the decision to obey or disobey orders, so you don't need to deal with court-martials either way.
Unfortunately, this also means that everyone who stays are probably morally corrupt and would not longer adhere to the constitution.
You can’t just quit the military except in some small cases like this colonel and other officers. The entire enlisted side not in retirement availability range are locked in.
But it's the brass we need on side
Sure, I just wanted to speak against the implication anyone staying is happy for the ride they’re on.