• null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    7 days ago

    You seem to know a lot more about this than me but I struggle share your confidence.

    Everything I know about military service I have learned from popular media, but it seems like “following orders” is a foundational principle. If orders contravene an oath you made to the constitution that would present a conundrum, but I suspect that “following orders” will always win. That’s the whole idea of an “order”, you’re not supposed to think about it and figure out whether or not you want to follow such a directive, and surely this is beaten in to servicemen and women every day ?

    • cley_faye@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      The gist of it is, the military defends the US constitution, not the president whims. Obviously, some may not see it that way, but if the general army changed direction each time the president changed, it would cause some problems.

      • Triasha@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        Canada might crack the military into the faithful to the constitution vrs the loyal to maga.

        Panama or Greenland I figure they would try to minimize loss of life but they would just do it. Blowing up your career for a symbolic gesture or risking civil war in a mass revolt wouldn’t be worth it.

        (Some might give up their careers, the ones with high integrity, maybe a lot of command. But they would be replaced with loyalists)

    • Ænima@lemm.ee
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      6 days ago

      Media is not a good place to learn about military life. If you are in the States, you might have a local VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars). The old guys in there will likely talk your ear off about their experiences, just don’t press for details about specific combat experience unless they broach the subject.

      If you want to learn more about the military and their oath, from popular media sources, NCIS is the show to watch. It’s relatively accurate in it’s display of service life, and they cite the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) in what seems like every episode. Now that is the real bread and butter of a military members legal guidance. Every military member is keenly aware of that book, especially when deploying.

      Source: A military veteran and friend of multiple military peeps from multiple branches, backgrounds, and countries. The depiction of mindless drones is far from accurate. They exist, just like you have shitty people at any job, but as someone else pointed out above here, the higher up the branch you go, the more left-leaning the soldier is. That’s why tRump had to appoint a complete dunce to DoD, and not someone with military background and scruples. You know that if tRump could get military support from upper command that he wouldn’t hesitate to post soldiers around him for every presser. He is a weak-man’s idea of a strong-man.