Soldier post himself with picture opposing conflict with Russia.

No he shouldn't of done it in uniform but to attack him for not wanting to go to war with countries that have done nothing to us is ridiculous and then to say he has no "American pride" because he doesn't want to fight a certain war that he believes would be unjust is rather silly of a thing to say. Rather you agree with him or not your all blowing way out of proportion. To bad he didn't cover his patch though.

Attitude is a reflection of leadership... How do you expect young troops to act when the leadership example they have is a President who answers a terrorist action against 200 little girls with a hash tag and as a civilian airliner is shot down killing hundreds of innocent civilians goes to a fund raiser... then golf... then more fund raisers... then golf... then vacation... Need I say more?

You can't expect people to not have their opinions. And while many people are willing to stand up toe to toe with anyone that is a threat to our homeland, in the same breath many are tired of the senseless losses we have taken. It would be the exact same thing. We don't see things through anymore. By pulling out of Iraq (and soon to be Afghanistan) before they are ready we have nullified every servicemens sacrifice. Many are tired of it and not willing to let the government throw our friends' lives away for something that really is NONE of our business.

We have a choice of joining the Military or not. In Russia its not an option. With that said, when you join, your opinion of a justified conflict/war doesn't matter. You took an oath to obey that commands of the officers appointed above you. The Military isn't a democracy and you don't have to be here. In this profession Soldiers work together as a team. If you want to pick and chose what orders you are going to follow your in the wrong business. I think the bigger picture isn't about what you as a Soldier want but its about fighting for and with your brothers and sisters to your left and right and making sure no matter what the mission that all of you come home safe. You don't have to agree with the fight but you have to be passionate enough to protect each other otherwise you are useless to the team.

Sometimes I just need to do an up or down vote (as much as I hate to down vote anyone) or just ignore the comment. But, yep, I do get sucked in sometimes.

We got off on the tangent because LT Ryan Haag said, "We never know all the information the President gets to make decisions (that's why he's got grey hair). >>I don't agree with all of the decisions, but I still execute what he orders us to do."<<

The oath officers take does not require blind obedience to unlawful or unconsitutional orders. It's altogether fitting and proper to review every order given [time permitting] to ensure that the orders you receive are lawful and constitutional. I'm not talking about matters of routine, but rather orders that are a blatant departure from what one would expect to receive... orders that violate your conscience. That was my point. Wasn't trying to hijack this discussion.

In fact the Oath that officers take differs from the enlisted oath in that officers do not say anything about obeying orders. HOWEVER, enlisted troops have many times been in classes that teach us the difference between lawful and unlawful orders and the consequences of our actions in not obeying orders.

Enlisted Oath
“I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”


Officer Oath
I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

And now I'll tie it back. The guys in the pictures do not want to be used as pawns in a war where they would be forced to fight on the side of Al Qaeda backed terrorists, our sworn enemy.

By popular definition aiding and abetting one's enemy consitutes treason. Should they be forced to obey an order from the President that compels them to commit what they believe constitutes treason? Or would they be right to question?

I don't have a problem with their opposition to being sent overseas for the purpose of fighting on the side of terrorists; I have a problem with the manner in which they voiced their opposition.

While they are doing what they believe is necessary to draw attention to the problem and raise awareness, they should not have voiced their objections in uniform. It's highly unprofessional and it violates good order and discipline.

When you make political statements wearing your uniform, you are inserting yourself as an unauthorized spokesperson for the military and branch of service you represent, and you open yourself up to discipline. The pics these guys made could potentially boost the morale of our enemies and reduce the morale of our troops. Two wrongs don't make a right.

But we can only speculate as to whether this guy is even military. He could be an American civilian opposed to war or muslim jihadi wearing an SF uniform attempting to demoralize our forces. We simply don't know.

Still in appropriate to make a political statement in uniform.

I also agree.

In uniform, we are professionals and must not make political statements sime as that. We all agreed to follow all lawful orders of our superior officers.

This is no better than the original post. Agree or disagree BOTH are dead wrong!

SSG(P) Auston Terry - What political statement?, I agree dont wear your uniform, but his writing doesnt say anything about a political agenda