In S.A. we have a similar rule except it works differently. Here you must obey all orders however if you believe an order is against the law you then, after obeying, have a right to go above the chain of command to report such.

If you are in the field and you are given a command, you should obey immediately because if you stop to think if it is legal or not, by the time you react, it is too late, someone is dead, most likely you and your team.

The whole reason about learning to march as a group is to train you to instantly act as a whole.

If the CIC’s orders are illegal, then it is up to the machine to bring him to book, not the private at the bottom or the rung.

But for the sake of argument, let us say that the orders are indeed illegal and wrong, why did the gut not say so until he was shipped out, from my understanding, he had more than enough time to indicate his displeasure before his orders were ever given.

Besides that, the point is that the Lt. in this case is specifically given the right to make that argument in his own defense. Whether he succeeds or not isn’t what I’m bitching about, but whether he’s allowed to present that argument, if that makes any sense.

Of course being a member of the rest of the world I also wish the USA would get out of Iraq.