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To: Publius; TradicalRC
If, say, a General Wesley Clark ordered a unit you commanded to round up enemy prisoners immediately taken in battle, make them dig a long deep trench and then execute them, would you:

a. Follow the orders to the letter, and then challenge the orders afterwards.
b. Ask for authentication of said orders.
c. other action

I would follow orders. This happened during World War II to German soldiers taken prisoner by Americans, as dramatized in HBO's "Band of Brothers". It was nasty, but it was done.

I would follow orders.

Interesting...that you didn't chose to have the orders authenticated before following them.

I was thinking of a real situation, the massacre of the Polish Officers by the Red Army and the Malmedy Massacre of US prisoners by the Wermacht.

In the instance of the Bonus Army assault, your are mistaken. Hoover specifically ordered no assault to take place. MacArthur exceeded his authority and IIRC ignored direct orders from Hoover transmitted by Eisenhower and proceeded to attacked unarmed former brothers in arms and their families burning them out with the resultant deaths.

The Bonus Army Marchers sought early payment of the bonuses promised them as signed into law by the Congress of the USA. That a minority contingent of Wobblies was among them was used publicize them as a . socialist threat to the nation. Sounds similar to the events at Waco
[A side note; my first post at FR was about the Bonus Army.]

If then:

Obama orders federal troops into Washington, D.C. (1968 DC riot precedent), orders them to disperse The National Tea Party Protest and the ROE include lethal force

Because of foreign deployments reservists are called up to confront the Tea Party. You are among the reserve officer.

Is your answer still:

I will follow orders?

"I, Publius (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God." (DA Form 71)

And I'll shoot all the miserable sons-of-bitches that Obama tells me to.

Note the difference between the officer's oath and the enlisted oath below.

...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."

The officer's oath requires loyalty to the Constitution and all enemies foreign and domestic, not to officers above them.

20 posted on 07/25/2009 12:48:57 PM PDT by Covenantor ("Men are ruled...by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern." Chesterton)
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To: Covenantor

Who gave the orders? Full disclosure: This is the first time ever that I’ve heard of the bonus army.

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=461


22 posted on 07/25/2009 3:08:40 PM PDT by definitelynotaliberal (Sarah Palin - It's what happens when you attempt to bikini wax a bear.)
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