Discussion»Questions»Military» Does a "good soldier" do whatever he/she is ordered to do without question or is it incumbent upon a "good solider" to question bad orders?
Thank you for your reply m2c and Happy Thursday to thee. So even if it is morally unjust you would follow the orders anyway because chain of command should be inviolate? Hmmm. Interesting.
In am not in the military nor have I ever been. But as Randy D pointed out there is a protocal for determining a lawful and unlawful order and how to proceed.
Just like every other absolute you present in your flawed premises, there's not just one way to determine the all-encompassing definition of what makes a good soldier. In the narrow parameter that you've given (following orders), it would also depend on what those orders are.
Having served tours of duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, I can vouch from first-hand experience that from day one in boot camp, an extremely clear distinction is drilled into recruits' brains between lawful orders and unlawful orders. Disobeying a lawful order is against regulations, but if given an unlawful order, one is duty-bound to (a) refrain from carrying it out, and (b) immediately report the incident to higher authority. -
In the Navy, one of the jobs of the senior enlisted was to 'advise' our junior commissioned officers. Any disagreements were discussed in private and it was our duty to tell them about bad decisions and how they could screw up their careers by making them. As Randy said, good soldiers, marines and sailors are more than about following orders and blindly rushing in.
Article 91 makes it a crime to WILLFULLY disobey a superior Noncommissioned or Warrant Officer. Article 92 makes it a crime to disobey any lawful order (the disobedience does not have to be "willful" under this article).
In fact, under Article 90, during times of war, a military member who willfully disobeys a superior commissioned officer can be sentenced to death.
These articles require the obedience of LAWFUL orders. An order which is unlawful not only does not need to be obeyed but obeying such an order can result in criminal prosecution of the one who obeys it. Military courts have long held that military members are accountable for their actions even while following orders -- if the order was illegal.
So can an enlisted man decide which order is lawful and which is not? Thank you for your thoughtful and informative reply. It is very helpful. Happy Thursday tj.
my2cents 