How can a soldier justify protesting a war?

Question

Throughout history, a soldiers duty has been to fight. If you become a soldier, that means you obey what your government tells you. If you were drafted that's one thing, protest till you're blue in the face. A soldier is the servant of the ruling body.

Answer 1

They actually lack constitutional rights. When you enlist, you waive your Constitutional rights and receive U.C.M.J. "rights."
These new "rights" basically entitle you to shut the hell up and do as you're told!
In the military you do not have freedom of speech or press, freedom of association, freedom of movement, freedom to assemble, freedom from unreasonable search or seizure, habeas corpus, etc...
If you are not ready to walk the line, you should not have signed the contract of your own free will.
Deserters should be hanged, btw.

Vince M:
You need to start a new thread. Your reply was nonresponsive. The original poster never asks if soldiers should be punished for disobeying unlawful orders like harming or killing a P.O.W.
The issue is "protest" of the war and it is not a legal option in any branch of the military, volunteer or draftee.
Also, the Allies put no German officers to death, except those convicted of being in the planning/policy of the war crimes they were on trial for. Plus a handful who apparently committed excesses on their own authority, without any exculpatory orders from above.

Answer 2

A soldier is still a human being with a functioning feeling heart and a thinking brain. Becoming a solider does not take this away. If a human being who happens to be a solider realizes that a war is unjust or was entered into because the cronies of the "ruling body" stand to gain financially, that soldier has a moral obligation to protest and not take part in said war.

Answer 3

I think soldiers should have as much right if not more right than anyone to protest a war.

They are the ones who were sent into harm's way and if they are being sent into battle for something later revealed to be a lie or a frivolous reason,then they should protest it once they are out of combat.

You can disagree with the government while still being a loyal citizen or soldier.

Answer 4

He can't. He's a volunteer and it's a violation of Article 134 of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice at the very least and subjects him to disciplinary proceedings. And it doesn't matter whether or not he is uniform at the time of the offense.
But, a soldier in the U.S. is not the servant of the ruling body. He is an individual who has pledged to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic and has also pledged to follow the lawful orders of the President and the officers and non-commissioned officers appointed over him. The irony in America is that soldier has pledged to support a document which less than one in five adult Americans has ever read.

Answer 5

So, all those German officers who were, "Only obeying orders," during WWII and were hanged for various war crimes, were right?

Boy, I guess we really blew it and owe them our apologies.

Perhaps you are not aware that the United States Code of Military Justice, which is taught to all US soldiers, REQUIRE a soldier to disobey an illegal order. Thats why those GIs were prosecuted for the murders of civilians, even though some were "only obeying orders."

Read and understand some of your own contry's history before you speak up about something you don't know.

Answer 6

you have intermixed 2 diverse questions; one million conflict and peace as that coverage dispute performed out over the Viet Nam conflict 2The public loss of have confidence and self assurance in national government till now and after Watergate, and Pres. Nixon's resignation. the great differences you examine with resulted from Watergate, no longer the Vietnam conflict. seem up the usually used public opinion tables in G. Lewy's e book on Vietnam public opinion. Even the draft-age cohorts, 18-25 continually favourite the conflict; it became the small minority of scholars in some colleges that have been given each and every of the media interest, and gave the impression to be the final public. seem at Gallup opinion polls in later '70s and the only national corporation that had a majority of public help became the US militia, non the political factors, or events. Used automobile salesmen have been theory extra trustworthy than politicians.

Answer 7

I agree. A soldier on active duty should not question his commanders. Everyone else has an absolute right to though.

Answer 8

Yea, its duty.
The german pvt only did his duty when he took the 1 yo from Mom and sent her to work until she fell. then he carried Mom to the chamber, to join her 1yo child who entered a moth ago. Perfectly dutiful. A great soldier.

Never question. bush thinks of your welfare everynite. never his own. Trust this wonderful leader.

he may soon talk- to turn guns on our people. In Alanta, LA, Midtown Ohio.??
There's only one way to prove your a man. By pulling a trigger, when someone tells you too.

Now off to Iraq with you. Teach freedom. the army will tell you how to do it! Be their servant of goodness. They want you to be a big man. Trust them, they care about you.

Answer 9

They can protest, but as a private citizen. Wearing a uniform or identifying as a military member violates the UCMJ

Answer 10

Because before they were a soldier, they were a citizen.

Protest is a right never taken away.