The military and illegal orders

Re “Will military leaders stand up against illegal orders?,” Opinion Voices, Nov. 18

- 

MILITARY LEADERS watch President Trump speak on ALEX WONG Getty Images Sept. 30.

WILL military leaders stand up against illegal orders? It’s a conundrum involving several difficult considerations, each problematic and each belonging to a different category of concern. We are a nation governed by laws, and punishment can come only after a fair trial.

The killing of potential drug dealers does not meet that criterion. Yet, in this case, is it reasonable to assume that such a trial could not take place in a timely manner to protect our security?

Orders given to the military should be clear, legal and perceived as moral by those charged with executing them. But would we have a viable military if every soldier acted according to a personal moral compass or, as the author suggests, decided to “challenge the system”?

Our own individual worldviews — shaped by experience, ethics and, ultimately, our instincts for survival (in this case, the survival of the nation) — guide us when faced with multilayered and critical decisions. It is not scientific, nor necessarily right, nor guaranteed to produce good results.

The high-minded and well-articulated oped is nevertheless misguided. Personally, I cannot believe that anyone sane (except perhaps a motivated drug trafficker) would gratuitously travel in a small boat in the area at such a time. Moreover, I feel that the immense damage done to our society by drugs outweighs, in this instance, the questionable nature of our actions.

JACK KACZOROWSKI Los Angeles

I say this as a retired intelligence analyst who, in 1972 in Pleiku, Vietnam, targeted the B-52 bombings in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam: You cannot expect your military to do the job the American people should do at the polls.