In what I would call one of the most risky moves to a person’s career, a light bird colonel of the US Army has made his stand. He has refused any further orders until the Obama has furnished proof that he is in fact a legitimate holder of the office of President.
“I feel I have no choice but the distasteful one of inviting my own court martial,” said Lt. Col. Terry Lakin, an active-duty flight surgeon charged with caring for Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey’s pilots and air crew. “The Constitution matters. The truth matters.”
“For the first time in all my years of service to our great nation, and at great peril to my career and future, I am choosing to disobey what I believe are illegal orders, including an order to deploy to Afghanistan for my second tour of duty there. I will disobey my orders to deploy because I – and I believe all servicemen and women and the American people – deserve the truth about President Obama’s constitutional eligibility to the office of the presidency and the commander in chief.
“If he is ineligible, then my orders – and indeed all orders – are illegal because all orders have their origin with the commander in chief as handed down through the chain of command.”
Indeed Lt. Col. Terry Lakin is risking it all, could face court martial, lose any rights to pension benefits after 18 years, and could be imprisoned for taking this stand. His video at the bottom lays out his concerns.
I have tried not to become a part of this debate, because like many others, it has a tendency to call a lot of chatter and name calling from the supporters of Obama, and sometimes even those on the right who cannot fathom such a thing. So instead I have tried to stay focused on the substance of his policies and how truly damaging THEY are for the country. No need for a constitutional crisis in my mind.
These types of events however are game changers. The sacrifice of a decorated military career for such a challenge is nothing to scoff at. It also points out an underlying distrust of the president’s ability to lead our armed forces, as I am sure there are others who simply would not take the same stand in this way.
The President’s answer to similar challenges ever since his election has been to lock up his records, hire an army of attorneys, and ridicule debate over the possibility he has eligibility issues. Most should find those facts troubling. Perhaps it gives the president an opportunity to draw out the “fringe”, but at the same time it seemingly leads to the distrust by the officers who are charged to take his commands. It is not a game, and the consequences are indeed dire.
Lt. Col. Terry Lakin’s own words.
Update – 1542 Thursday 040110 —
As reported at familysecuritymatters.org:
Lakin has earned the distinction of taking care of many Admirals and Generals since working at the Pentagon, where he serves as Chief of Primary Care and Flight Surgeon for the DiLorenzo TRICARE Health Clinic and is the lead Flight Surgeon charged with caring for Army Chief of Staff General Casey’s pilots and air crew. LTC Lakin’s numerous awards and decorations include the Army Flight Surgeon Badge, Combat Medical Badge, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, the Armed Forces Expedition Medal, the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon sixth award and the NATO service medal. He has served previously in Honduras, Bosnia, Korea, and Afghanistan.
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