Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Pentagon must know its place

The writers of the New York Times article published Dec. 3, “Intervention in SEAL case tests Pentagon’s tolerance,” leave out important facts about Eddie Gallagher’s case, first and foremost that he was found not guilty of every serious crime he faced.

The Navy’s case collapsed when a Corpsman stated under oath that he, not Gallagher, had killed the terrorist. Reducing Gallagher’s rank for taking a picture with a dead body may have been an appropriate punishment, but the actions the Navy brass took afterward seem like retaliation for a botched court-martial.

More importantly, it’s not the Pentagon’s place to “tolerate” a president; its duty is to “obey the orders of the president of the United States,” as stated in every one of our military oaths. The nation has a long history of high-ranking officers getting crossways with a president, and each time the president has won.

The Pentagon’s rebellion needs to be smacked down hard. If the day comes that the Pentagon no longer “tolerates” a president, its only option is a military coup and dictatorship. And nobody should want that.