If America needs you again, would you be willing to return to active duty one grade lower?

My first 10 years were in the Infantry, there were some instances where following your leader blindly was beneficial, (If I said duck, because I saw a shell coming, I really don't have time to discuss it) I think the definition of blind trust is more a situation of trust in leadership. I had leaders I trusted and would follow anywhere, I also had some who I knew were doing things to benefit their career and were not beneficial to the troops or mission, those I would question.

I was mainly painting with a broad brush and there are always shades of grey. What I posted was a high level description to set the two ends of the spectrum where the majority resides.

And Ernest, blind following is in Camp #1 where blind trust would be more of Camp #2. Camp #1 just follows because they have been told to do so.

SGM, I DID have some excellent leaders and I built up trust in them. There were others that were poor leaders that I wouldn't trust could lead me out of the head without making me challenge their judgement. The leadership I currently have an issue with is the leadership out of DC. From ALL levels of it.

If we are to blindly follow any order coming out of DC right now, we are walking the line between being patriots and being traitors like a tightrope.

The Camp #1 people who follow their orders blindly are bordering on treason right now, but those who look at the orders given through the glasses of the US Constitution will be able to discern whether an order is legal or not and whether it is right and within the oath that we all took to disobey that order, obey that order, or obey the order under protest.

I would many of the people you lump into Camp #1. Don't agree with what is going on in this country and have tried to speak out, but have not been able to get anyone to hear them. It can be very frustrating when you trying to tell someone what they are doing is wrong, against the law, and unconstitutional, and they go ahead and do anyways. They are more torn up than you are me or anyone will ever know. Lot of them are along for the ride, because they are looking after their troops, and hopefully they will not have to ever make that choice. Many of use, are going along, because we have to have each other back in the long run. No one else, including our own Government will never have our back for us. So if that means swallowing pride, and doing something we not to much for, so be it. Yet, I am sure if there is ever a time when the people of the U.S. have to take back their Right of Government from those who have eroded and taken them away. As you seem to think is such a time, and other have hinted it getting close. Like I said, the Constitution as it is written, with the original 10 amendment one of the greatest treasures our Found Fathers could have left for any Nation. When we look at all the failed Countries who have copied it, to only end in Coup, after Coup, over various accounts of corruptions. That isn't by any means an indication of that wonderful Document failing in those Countries! I would say in many cases, it show the Constitution living and breathing and being acted upon, but other people, who are trying to emulate what our Founder Fathers left us. We are just too blind to the corrupt system that we have in place now, I am afraid we may never get back to point of time, where we are abiding by the Constitution, because none of the 550 so Jackasses in Washington, who supposedly running this Nation are more worried about applying modern laws, than every learning what that document reads, and reading the background information to that document. I correlate to people who can name off this Bible passage and that Bible passage for almost any situation. In reality, the passage they relate in the situation, if you look at the entire context of the message for which passage was taken from, it has nothing to do with the situation at hand, for which the person told for.

So yeah I think most of the stuff he has done is over the top and illegal in one way or another. He is still the President of the United States. If he gives an Order, I gave an oath back in 1988, and sure it been since Dec. 8th, 1989 since I was in, but if ask to wear the uniform again. I would for Country with pride, I have to respect the Commander-in-Chief not the man who will not salute our flag, or one who refuses on a regular basis to honor the Military that he has the privilege of being Commander-in-Chief of.

It is damn shame too, because it not only the Military he dishonor, it has filtered down into the V.A. since he taken office too. It was bad in 2007, but it has only gotten worse, I mean how can you keep cutting staff and facilities, when more injure combat injuries are being discharge, and more Veterans are signing up every day. Then you get what we have. The entire system is joke, it is flipping frustrating.

Yes we all have the right to disobey an order, but that usually gets you arrested. Obey the order under protest, well if it was illegal order to begin with, and criminal charges can be filed, you are still on the hook for those charge, sorry. Obey that order, this is the one thing we all been train, we all like to believe all orders we are given are legal, at times it can be deadly to question ones orders. So yeah I understand why some people blindly follow, let's face not everyone can make the rank of General. There will always be Privates, Airmen, and Sailors somewhere to take the orders at the bottom of the food chain.

Maj Rahman, interesting and useful perspective. Thanks for sharing. You have my respect.