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LTC Vindman retires, was he right or wrong? What about the second and third order effects?
Aside from the usually partisan (and superficial) comments regarding LTC (R) Vindman, is there a lesson to be learned here? We had a sitting US senator holding up promotion for 1000 senior officers to allow for his promotion. Whistleblowing. Polarizing politics and the politicalization of the military seems to be here for the duration. While the retired could easily just take pot shots from Ft. Living Room, here's my question. How can currently serving members truly remain apolitical? In a world where one callus post can end your career, use some judgment if you elect to weigh in. Was he right? Would you have done the same? Was he dead wrong?
Aside from the usually partisan (and superficial) comments regarding LTC (R) Vindman, is there a lesson to be learned here? We had a sitting US senator holding up promotion for 1000 senior officers to allow for his promotion. Whistleblowing. Polarizing politics and the politicalization of the military seems to be here for the duration. While the retired could easily just take pot shots from Ft. Living Room, here's my question. How can currently serving members truly remain apolitical? In a world where one callus post can end your career, use some judgment if you elect to weigh in. Was he right? Would you have done the same? Was he dead wrong?
ar-BB17s1rL
Posted from msn.com
Lessons Learned
Political Correctness
Congress
COL
Social Media
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 285
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Regardless of what one's political leanings are, Vindman's actions were 100% political and completely inappropriate and helped further the divide between the military and civilian populace to whom we swore an oath to protect. Nothing about his actions were "brave". Now that he is retired, he has a unique opportunity to redeem his name and show the world that he is not a coward. He could do some good fighting the Russians in his home country.
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Vindman is a lying, Treasonous pile of garbage who should be locked up forever. Breaking rocks.. NOT Minimum Security
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While not quite the same, do we allow soldiers or officers to use the defense of "only following orders"? Here is where character and reasonable judgment come into play. In my, admittedly long, civilian life I learned how to "gun deck" certain documents and, when it came to it, to refuse to obey clearly "illegal" (or at least unethical) orders. And I paid a cost for this. Ultimately, Lt. Col. Vindman's loyalty had to be to the Constitution rather than to the individual holding the Presidency.
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Vindman, as with any other current member of the military can have no political opinion while in uniform. To publicly speak out against any president while in uniform is a court martial offense, plain and simple. Whether I agree with his opinion or not, makes no difference. He was wrong to do so.
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SSG Bill McCoy
Even retireees, as I understand it ... at least Flag Officers, can be recalled and face punitive action if they speak out against the gov't. Nonetheless, we've seen dozens over the years, speak as guest experts on various news outlets. Sad. It should not be tolerated!
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He allowed himself to be used by politicians in hopes of personal gain after military service, professionalism with integrity is out the window with this guy
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History will tell how it wants to hold him or remember him. In the end - i hold him responsible as one of the causes of the invasion of the Ukraine... When you put politics above the nation - your in the wrong job... for it opens the door to that happening as a trend. The question is always as to will others take advantage of political leanings and use that trend to their advantage? We have seen it in our history before - never a name you want to remember - but closing the door is much harder than opening it.
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SGT J M Porters
Just like the renaming of the Fort's {Fort Benning to Fort Monroe} for those who will rewrite history as a nartive to be polically correct. We are distance to make the same mistake again. For those who did not know this a majority of the Confedrate officers when and graduated from West Pont. General Robert E. Lee 1852 to 1855, Lee served as superintendent of West Point. Robert E. Lee graduates second in his class from West Point. We all have oppion and beliefs. When we put that uniform on we are guided by the constituion and the oath we take.
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SGT J M Porters
I salute my fellow brother at arms who served and fought in the Confederate Army. They fought for what they believed. And rightly so. That was the part that made America so great. Having Competing ideas is not wrong. But the truth is they lost. President Lincoln would not allow the South to secede from the union or be divided! Not under his watch. There is a big difference between coming to America and pledging your allegiance to America. Today immigrants are not pledging. They are assimilating and reproducing after their kind. They are not helping to make the American dream. They are forming little pockets of culture from where they came from.
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I'm just curious. If it was wrong of him to testify, then why did the other side call him in to do so? Aren't they just as wrong for having him there to do so, while he's still active duty working under the President? Regardless of who is sitting at the desk in the Oval office, shouldn't it be an understanding that what you hear stays amongst those who are present at the time, and to do differently whether it be willingly or through force is against standards and National Security? I mean didn't training, SERES or otherwise teach him that? Or did he not get that training. POWs even know that.
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SSG Bill McCoy
Yes, it was wrong on all accounts ... but the "other side," as we know, bends and breaks rules and makes rules of their own.
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I compared the oath of enlistment and oath of office. Both say defend the constitution. The one for enlistment says to obey orders from the President, however the oath of office doesn't there Officers do not serve at the pleasure of the President. This man did the right thing. At the end of the day he upheld his oath. May question is with full disclosure running rampant is anything military or political secret or top secret anymore?
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Lieutenant colonel vindman actions were 100% correct in reporting the unethical actions of the President of the United States. Some of us have no values and are highly dishonest and lack integrity. I believe LTC Vindman understood the the Army Values better than most. Good leaders always operates with intestinal fortitude.
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There is a right way and a wrong way to get things done, going to to the News Media or a social Platform to air out your opinion requires you to go through JAG and request press release. In LTC Vindman case, he took sensitive information and went public out of personnel rage. We all know this is a common problem in the Military and changes come from the top down and there are some things you can't do anything about. I am speaking from personal experience after all I didn't stay an E-5 for 17n years while constantly being threatened for doing a similar thing.
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