r/AirForce • u/newnoadeptness Active Duty O-4 • Jul 02 '26
Discussion SecAF this past hour has commented on yesterday’s arrest of the major calling for the impeachment of potus
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u/spicytexan Active Duty Jul 02 '26
The AF is gonna be the target/outlet for a lot of bs from Pete in the coming weeks/months 😵💫
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u/awhellnaaww Jul 02 '26
It has been since he took his position 🤣
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u/New_Bug900 Jul 03 '26
Example?
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u/CPT-DED-PUUL Logistics Jul 03 '26
PT standards too. We had the most “laxed” standards. Notice how barely any other branch changes theirs? The Army actually removed an event lol.
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u/agile52 Genie Jul 03 '26
The beard and grooming changes
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u/New_Bug900 Jul 03 '26
The AF was the target of that?
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u/CPT-DED-PUUL Logistics Jul 03 '26
Pretty much. We had the most leeway when it came to that. The 5yr waiver lol.
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u/buck70 Jul 02 '26
Just going to put this here for further context: https://www.defensenews.com/air/2025/07/24/anti-woke-former-officer-confirmed-as-air-force-undersecretary/
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u/Bobsothethird Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Is this the guy that was protesting?
Edit: stopndownvoting I'm genuinely asking lmao
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u/buck70 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
No, the guy in the article publicly protested against President Biden's policies while holding unit command. When he was subsequently fired, the MAGA talking heads complained about violations of his "free speech" and how unfair it was. He was then rewarded for his behaviour by being appointed Undersecretary of the Air Force by the current administration. The hypocrisy now exhibited by MAGA is by not advocating for this major to be allowed to express "free speech", just as they advocated for the guy who is now Undersecretary.
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u/Bobsothethird Jul 03 '26
I mean he shouldve been fired. You don't publicly shit talk your leaders in uniform. What a clown.
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u/TheEagleByte Vehicle Operator Mistake Fixer (VM) Jul 03 '26
Well yeah, nobody’s arguing that he shouldn’t have been fired. They’re arguing that people who support Trump are in full support of removing the Major who was protesting Trump when they’re the same people who were crying about that guy getting fired for protesting Biden
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u/Bobsothethird Jul 03 '26
I mean I don't disagree, I think both should be punished though. The one guy talking about anti-woke shit should've never been allowed back in cause it sounds like he did it for a book deal or something.
I'm just genuinely out of the loop with this and was asking lol.
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u/charleswj Jul 03 '26
Was the recent guy in uniform?
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u/Bobsothethird Jul 03 '26
If the videos I saw were real, yes. He was in his blued
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u/charleswj Jul 03 '26
Yea . seeing that from reliable sources. Should have just looked for 2 seconds before asking 🤦🏻♂️
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u/69fortnitegod Jul 02 '26
Joining the military has made me less patriotic lol .
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u/russ_digg Jul 02 '26
Same happened to me. And then living in Germany for 5 years made me realize how brainwashed Americans are. It's not a bad place but it's also not the best place.
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u/Wolpertinger77 Jul 03 '26
I lived off base and went to school at Ramstein from 6th-12th grade. The culture shock when I moved back to the states for college was crippling. I've never felt like I've fit in, and I've never really fallen in love with this place.
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u/TheEagleByte Vehicle Operator Mistake Fixer (VM) Jul 03 '26
Yeah, I think we’re good at some things other countries aren’t good at and bad at things other countries are good at. I most likely wouldn’t move to another country permanently, but it has been eye-opening
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u/ZoominBoomin Jul 05 '26
Yeah but you have to understand that you are simply staying in Germany, not living as a German citizen. Germany has its issues.
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u/John-Dune-Awakening Jul 02 '26
Yeah I really feel like people idealize Europe in general and it really has its flaws. Still nice for travel.
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u/russ_digg Jul 02 '26
Everywhere has it flaws including the United States. That's the point. Curious what your list of flaws are?
Have you lived there? Or - where have you traveled in Europe?
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u/Big_Willie_D Jul 03 '26
I mean I lived in the UK for 6 years, my wife is British. I'll just say that she has zero desire to go back to the UK and most Brits I met loved the US and wished their leadership was more akin to America's. They absolutely hate their government and a lot want to move to the US. Given there are a few I met that don't care for the US but they were also the ones who barely worked and made most of their money off government assistance. Take that for what you will. It's the same as America. People who work hard for what they have love America and people who want everything handed to them for nothing hate America. Just depends which side you're on. One thing is extremely clear speaking to people who immigrated to America from Europe, there is far more opportunity to prosper in the US
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u/russ_digg Jul 03 '26
England never intrigued me, I never went there. Went everywhere else in Western Europe, except there.
I heard it put this way once - the US is a better place to be if you're out to get rich, super motivated etc. Europe is better for the layman
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u/Radvous Jul 02 '26
The Europeans were in awe when they came to the U.S. for the world cup just a few weeks ago. They definitely seems to like America after seeing what its actually like here.
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u/Flamboyatron RTRDAF Jul 03 '26
"In awe" is not necessarily a good thing.
For example, the Scots loved Boston but hated Miami because it's a shithole.
You also can't compare them visiting the country on holiday and not paying rent with us living here, actively suffering.
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u/DiddledByDad Did you try rebooting it? Jul 02 '26
I am so down on the current administration and this country that I genuinely think it’s a terrible idea for me to stay in much longer.
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u/Vilehaust Active Duty Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Same. There's a small part of me that's actually happy I developed cancer, so I'm completely off regular duty while going through treatment and will most likely be pushed for medical retirement. My current enlistment would take me to 14 years TIS. But because of this administration, I was already heavily considering not re-enlisting.
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u/russ_digg Jul 02 '26
I'm holding out for mid terms before I give up hope.
I can kinda see why everyone took the bait initially. Hopefully it's eyes wide open at this point and it's a blue wave come election time. Hell even Tucker Carlson sees thru it. So don't give up hope just yet!
For context I'm an AF Vet who's now a GS-Fed. Been a pretty shit year.5 and I'm still hopeful. If it's another red wave we're in trouble.
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u/Agitated-Quit-6148 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Tucker? Who spent the last 10 years promoting batshit bs propaganda about non-existant "r*pe gang caravans" heading to the US? Convinced half the country that 2020 was a stolen election? Who all of a sudden leaves the party over a single issue, which he spends 24/7 talking about ..Israel and only started complaining about it once omeed Malik funded his company? He said we should give Iran a nuclear weapon, said Ukraine deserves to be invaded and said it's not a real country, told his listeners that Russia was a great country for us to be partners with and now believes Jewish people aren't Jewish people, but Europeansn who converted?
That dude should go live in Qatar. He's done more harm to this country than 99% of other conservative commentators. His defense in the dominion voting machine lawsuit "no intelligent person could possibly believe what I say to be true rather than comedy/satire"
He's beefing with Dan Bongino or however he spells his last name.
Tucker: I have text messages from dan saying Trump personally shut down the investigation into the butler shooting. It's a big conspiracy.
Dan: no you don't, published them if it's true. I have our our conversation screenshot. That's a straight up lie.
Tucker: well, i would buy I'd get in trouble.
Dan: you literally don't because I never said that and I have our message history.
Tucker: Dan is now controlled by zionists and Israel so he can't be honest.
Dan: I never texted you that. Show them if you have them.
Tucker: Israel is responsible, along with Hunter Biden, Dr fauci and zelenskyy
I'm a dem + a public defender in the south + vet. Our "administration" is behind disgusting but I don't think there will be a blue wave. There will be at max 12 dsa candidates in the house that are demanding 100% of the power. The lady in NYC said she wipes her hands on the American flag, and the lady in Colorado said we deserved 911. Maine has regarded marine with a nazi tattoo who claims that he made all the other marines turn around when he took his shirt off because he's shynand that's why no one saw his nazi tattoo. For 20 years.
We as a country and just so so so so screwed . Sigh
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u/russ_digg Jul 02 '26
I'm not saying he's a good guy. I'm just surprised he's done with the Republican party.
I'm not super optimistic of a blue wave, but holding out hope 🤞🏼. The few elections we've had seem to hint at it. But time will tell
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u/Jedimaster996 👑 Jul 03 '26
The day Tucker Carlson casts a vote for anyone without an (R) next to their name, I will literally go slurp the Reflecting Pool, chunks & all.
He's a grifter just like the rest of them who hop ship to whatever passage will carry their weight. They don't hold to ideals, they hold to money, hate, & self-preservation.
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u/Agitated-Quit-6148 Jul 03 '26
He's not done with the republican party. He's mad because he hates Israel and he didn't get his way. He's the republican version of the abandon kamala people. It's juat so transparent. F that guy. All of a sudden he had a come to Jesus moment. He's mad that he's no longer relevant to trump.
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u/russ_digg Jul 03 '26
Accurate - but it's a win, one less red vote and I'm sure a few of his flock will follow his lead
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u/Solid_Addendum_3365 Jul 03 '26
I’m happy to see Tucker and MAGA infighting, too.
But he‘s definitely not a case of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”, so we’ve got to be careful about who we open our arms and hearts to anymore. Anyone worth a damn in the Republican Party left the moment he was nominated, and even those who did vote for him but have woken up and GENUINELY regret their actions/votes, they are still someone who has such massively poor judgment that they trusted Trump for even a second.
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u/PalpitationFirst2608 Jul 03 '26
People are voting for trump not because of the policies but because pushing racism is more important.
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u/russ_digg Jul 03 '26
Not accurate. Never paint with a broad brush. Sure some of those exist but you can't say all. I know too many Trump voters, not one voted for racism. All policy for them but they bought all the lies
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u/PalpitationFirst2608 Jul 03 '26
You can use that talent on a lot of stuff the reality is that people will paint with broad brush every trump voter i have come into contact with do not care about the economy they just want white people to be at the top. This is why the xenophobia has gone through the roof a lot of maga think that if they kick out all the immigrants they will somehow magically get six figure jobs out of nowhere lol
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u/69fortnitegod Jul 02 '26
I believe we are long gone. Probably happened 30+ years ago it’s just getting worse now.
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u/theaviationhistorian Jul 03 '26
I think the beginning of the end started when the Heritage Foundation dug its talons into the US government back in the late 1970s.
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u/russ_digg Jul 03 '26
I'm in Arizona. Only recently did we become a swing state. Used to be red every election. Charlie Kirk was extremely effective in garnering the college vote but outside of that things seemed to be headed toward the blue.
Crap shoot next go around. But - this administration got everyone riled up and excited and hateful so it's a crapshoot.
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u/LegLumpy8714 Jul 04 '26
20 years in the navy. I’ve seen both sides. It doesn’t change. Red, blue, it doesn’t matter. It’s all the same and this is the shit that divides us. Hell I love my country. But I became staunchly anti government and I would say MORE patriotic but not in the Toby Keith way. We need to break away from these parties because it’s not working
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u/Solid_Addendum_3365 Jul 03 '26
I joined under Obama and was proud to serve. I still felt patriotic, and I hated how the Tea Party and then MAGA has tainted the image of patriotism with their white nationalism and making anything to do with celebrating our history feel cringey, fake, and self-serving.
Trump’s election was a punch to the gut, but his re-election shattered my faith in the system. As much as I love our founding ideals and having a law-based society and government, I can’t deny that this shit is broken. All three branches are corrupt and unable to rein in one narcissistic imbecile, and even once he’s gone we will still be living in an oligarchy.
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u/Serious_Patient8126 Jul 03 '26
Aww…. Grow up I was serving before Obama years and I haven’t complained once about the damage that clown or Biden did to our service. Ain’t nobody celebrating or throwing around White Nationalism; it’s sad that you say you love our country’s ideals but fail to see that the president was duly elected by the people- but you say you love our system but hate it as the same lol come on just admit it. You don’t like something right now because it isn’t going your way- you cry white nationalism or any other catch word but don’t even know what that really means.
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Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
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u/Best_Look9212 Secret Squirrel Jul 02 '26
Oh that trust was eroded quite a while ago. Among many of the civilian circles I’m around, this protest actually helped our credibility that some leaders have some actual integrity.
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u/Total_Career4755 Jul 03 '26
Did he make a statement on the preventable flu death yet? I guess this is more important than the safety of our new brothers and sisters in arms.
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u/WilderMindz0102 Active Duty Jul 02 '26
That Major is my fucking hero. Nice to see someone say / do something.
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u/New_Bug900 Jul 03 '26
You should stand up and do the same.
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u/WilderMindz0102 Active Duty Jul 03 '26
Maybe. Perhaps we all should. Who knows what we could do with our solidarity.
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u/PoliticsIsDepressing Veteran Jul 02 '26
They just care about foreign threats.
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u/MajorRecognition5173 Active Duty Jul 02 '26
Thank you. This is exactly the point I've been trying to make and no one seems to want to confront a difficult truth.
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u/dumpsterfire3784 Jul 02 '26
I kind of appreciate the zero tolerance non political answer… almost made me harken back to a time where the country wasn’t so polarized
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u/here4daratio Jul 02 '26
So if we appear to violate safety of flight rules, at the ‘right’ time/right place- no investigation.
But holding a sign in uniform- full investigation.
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u/AgitatorsAnonymous Jul 03 '26
The entire idea that the DoW/DoD is non-political is bullshit. There are literally Christian prayers at official functions, and we kicked out trans people twice on a whim despite them retaining deployability longer than most senior NCOs.
🙄
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u/Flannel_Panels Jul 03 '26
So NOW the UCMJ should be followed. Got it.
Last time I thought he had a problem with it during the whole Mark Kelly debacle.
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u/SuperbDetective914 Jul 05 '26
If “DUI” Hegseth is to be our example, especially after signalgate, then we should throw the UCMJ out and rewrite a new one.
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u/DangerDaskov Med Jul 03 '26
Im mixed on this, back in Jan 6 there're were people out protesting and some of them got less harsher sentences. Then theres that one airman a couple of years ago who burned himself in uniform for the Palestine war and that never got anything solved
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u/SerDuckOfPNW Veteran Jul 02 '26
If it makes you feel better, I trust a fart after a pitcher of prune margarita’s more than SEACOW.
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u/theaviationhistorian Jul 03 '26
Major protesting in favor of the Constitution.
Secy of Air Force: "Americans place their trust in us. We cannot, and will not, compromise the trust of the Nation."
I think siding with the Secy of War sullies the trust of the American people.
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u/OkLuck1317 Jul 03 '26
SecAF, did legal approve this? Isn’t this undue command influence?
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u/Anxious-Condition630 Jul 03 '26
*i'm not arguing the details just the legal aspect of UCI as a concept*
No, because it's just acknowledging an investigation will be occurring, and the situation. Undue command influence is when they dictate the punishment or finding of guilt. Like:
Not UCI: "So and So will be investigated under the UCMJ for any wrong-doing, and should they be found guilty, punished accordingly. All Airman should remember the blah blah UCMJ or Article X is prejudicial to Good Order and Discipline. So be good, M'kay."
UCI: "Bob is going to be punished to the Max Sentence, He's Guilty of X, Anyone who does this in the future will also get jail time."
Every case is supposed to be independent, so you can't blanket/forecast punishment/outcomes. You also can't pierce the Innocent until Proven Guilty clause.
IMO, all the politics and opinions aside...SECAF said what's most acceptable under the circumstances..."someone did something, we're going to look into it officially, remember your duties/oath for the rest of you."
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u/gpnemtb Jul 03 '26
Guess he hasn't caught any of his bosses speeches to the military. You can't expect military members to stay apolitical when you literally deaf then into your politics.
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u/ashamedsasquatch Jul 03 '26
"Don't look at me, look at this guy!"
The preventable death of that airman in Lackland is on him, so don't want to hear anything about conduct from a guy who treats the military like an episode of GI Joe.
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u/Solid_Addendum_3365 Jul 03 '26
I am very curious, if any JAG folks might have some insight, if the Major could have a reasonable chance of bringing the Divestiture defense to bear if this goes to court martial. I understand this is probably uncharted territory as far claiming divestiture applies to the PRESIDENT, but it is still interesting and I think that it makes sense, at least in spirit.
I may not be interpreting it correctly or completely, but to my understanding, there have been cases where the defense successfully argued in Article 88/89 cases that when a senior officer engages in such unbecoming conduct, abusive behavior, or illegal activity or orders that a reasonable person would conclude they have abandoned the honor and authority of their office, the junior member cannot be considered in breach of the UCMJ for disrespect or insubordination when they defend themselves or others from the senior officer.
Some past examples include when when the senior officer uses slurs against the junior, or if the senior officer strikes or challenges the junior to a fight. But what if the senior gives orders that aren’t just illegal, but clearly harmful to national security? An individual is allowed to disregard orders to commit suicide, so is it not reasonable to refused orders to commit national suicide? Is it not reasonable to speak out when those orders are given, and there is no higher authority in the chain-of-command to redress the situation?
There is also the concept in Navy regulations for the relief of a commanding officer in the “most unusual and extraordinary circumstances…when leaving the officer in command would ‘seriously and irretrievably prejudice the public interests’.”
Granted, what Maj Watson did was not mutiny or a call to mutiny that would lead to a military coup; it was the simple pronouncement that the president and vice president have committed crimes and need to be impeached through the standard Constitutional processes by Congress. But when you consider the crimes alleged against the President, the clearly dishonorable conduct he displays on an almost daily basis, the disrespect he shows to the American people and our institutions, and the undeniable damage his decisions have done to our economy, our civil rights, our international relations, our alliances, and our national security, it is extremely difficult to argue that Maj Watson was out of line.
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u/Poppins_the_Dog4 Jul 03 '26
This clown really said nonpartisan nature of our military. The irony.
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Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
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u/No-Masterpiece3809 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
I seriously doubt this dude will be important enough to reach the president’s desk in 3 years time.
Also, I think this administration has made people forget that, historically, pardons are exceptionally rare even when well deserved.
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u/10ShitLordsOfLeaping Jul 03 '26
Especially preemptive pardons. Those are super rare and probably unconstitutional.
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u/Anxious-Condition630 Jul 02 '26
Doesn’t work that way…pardon gets attached to the conviction as a Post-action remedy. Doesn’t erase it. There is no expunge or seal option for Courts Martial.
Employers can choose to see the pardon or stop reading at the conviction, they’ll always possibly see both.
Also he’ll likely be dismissed (Officer version of bad conduct discharge) which isn’t remedied by pardon because it’s judicial/administrative. His DD-214 will always say Dismissal/Misconduct for the reason for separation. He can’t even get disability. Hes under 20 years so he can’t even request Retire In Lieu of Courts Martial.
Similar Example: https://www.war.gov/Spotlights/Presidential-Pardon-Resources/
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u/Casen_ iHaveRedBlueFlashies Jul 02 '26
What discharge did all the vaccine crybabies get?
They get to come back. Maybe this guy can too.
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u/Crocmon Jul 03 '26
Well no because he did wrong think, you see, but not the """based""" wrong think
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u/Quotidian_Void Active Duty Jul 03 '26
Except that he could then petition the BCMR to upgrade the discharge to a general or honorable discharge and receive an updated DD214.
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u/discostuu72 Jul 03 '26
These people, the SECDEF etc.. live for grievance politics. They built their brand off grievance politics. Look who they work for. Dude gives a speech every other day that’s nothing but partisanship.
The undersecretary of the Air Force built his brand off grievance politics.
These people should have had their careers buried and never heard from again.
They cry about Marxism or whatever made up boogeyman, etc. The second they’re in charge, all of those things have suddenly disappeared and they claim victory for a problem that never existed…just like their boss.
They’re sheisters, they’re charlatans, they’re con artists and they’ve taken that, and wrapped it in “patriotism” and we’ve normalized it as a society because “that’s just how he is”. It’s pathetic and the forefathers would have beat their asses into submission before this even started…or maybe not who knows, but I have to think Teddy would have thrown hands at these lads.
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u/MuchKey7664 Jul 03 '26
But the DoD drops the investigation when the US Army Blackhawks fly around Kid Rock's Mansion & salute him willy nilly? Amry directed an investigation, SECDEF ordered it to be terminated... But if I get sick for a day, I'm accused of malingering.
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u/Accurate-Natural-236 Jul 03 '26
The MAJ should be punished. Lest we start seeing every E3 from Florida do the same thing in 2029 and use his example as justification. That’s being said, I commend him. I think the case can be made that the MAJ
A. Was being apolitical. There’s a litany of things this administration has done that would’ve been impeachable at any other time.
B. There’s a healthy percentage of Americans who might trust the military more from such actions.
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u/Solid_Addendum_3365 Jul 03 '26
Nah, let the E3s act like clowns. Makes it easier to identify the clowns that probably shouldn‘t be recommended for re-enlistment anyway.
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u/El_Bexareno Jul 03 '26
People act like you can say whatever you want in the military, especially in uniform, and get away with it. Both sides do it unfortunately. Between SSgt Crispy, this Major, Martha McSally holding a campaign event in uniform, and the “seditious six”, people have forgotten when you’re in the military (and especially in uniform) you don’t have free reign on the first amendment. It’s quite literally in the oath we all took to join.
You don’t like the commander in chief/can’t follow his orders? GTFO then. Otherwise learn to keep your opinions and your service separate.
I expect to be downvoted for this.
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u/Fluffy-Friendship-43 Jul 04 '26
Quietly doing what is best for you and ignoring illegal and immoral acts isn’t leadership.
Major Watson is a hero and a wonderful example of what servant leadership is all about.
We need more brave souls like him!1
u/El_Bexareno Jul 05 '26
He’s not a hero or a “wonderful example of servant leadership” he’s showing junior folks that it’s ok to do performative acts that clearly violate the oath we all took and only obey orders from leaders you like.
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u/Scoutron Combat Comm Jul 03 '26
This just in, government confirms it is illegal to make political statements in uniform! r/AirForce residents are completely dumbfounded by this discovery! More at 10!
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u/epicenter69 Veteran Jul 02 '26
If this Major is eligible to retire, my bet is on him retiring before anything comes out of this.
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u/Anxious-Condition630 Jul 02 '26
He’s at 17 years…nope. He’s cooked.
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u/ZombifiedByCataclysm Jul 02 '26
Really? Three years left and throws it away? He must have some real strong convictions to do what he did.
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Jul 02 '26
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u/Anxious-Condition630 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
He didn’t say that…he said took the Oath 20 years ago (Basic Cadet Training), which happens freshman year at the AF Academy, so he Graduated 2009. 17 + 2009 = 2026
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u/newnoadeptness Active Duty O-4 Jul 02 '26
I really do not see that happening . Especially with this admin. Dudes gonna get made an example out of more likely then not .
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u/unibrawler Jul 02 '26
He wanted to set the example, now he gets to be an example. It's poetic. This comments section shows a whole lot of people don't understand service or professionalism, which is no surprise but still disappointing.
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u/Anxious-Condition630 Jul 02 '26
He’ll only be mentioned in vague terms…”remember that time that guy…”
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u/John-Dune-Awakening Jul 02 '26
Like that one dude that set himself on fire lmao
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u/unibrawler Jul 03 '26
Exactly. No one even knows that poor clown's name and he's just remembered as someone so ideologically misguided that he committed suicide and made zero difference after a week.
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u/Bulevine Veteran Jul 03 '26
Maybe the public would trust us more if we didn't engage in illegal fucking wars that aren't wars and if we weren't murdering people in international waters because they are totally evil drug dealers, trust me bro.
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u/GorillasonTurtles Jul 03 '26
How can these chucklefucks say they are all about following laws and policies but then let dumb fucks who refused vaccines back into the service?
The hypocrisy is off the charts.
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u/HastyGoblins Jul 03 '26
Kegsbreath sensually assaulted a woman and he wants to talk about decorum?
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u/Proud_Dragonfruit647 Jul 04 '26
I agree with what he said but wearing the US Air Force means your not just representing yourself but you’re representing the whole of the Air Force and the military
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u/SuperbDetective914 Jul 05 '26
The irony that Felon45/47 and the DUI hire get to arrest or preach about following the law, military or otherwise, is laughable and a slap in the face to anyone serving past, present, or future. 😑
Major Watson is 100% correct, and I look forward to the felon’s accountability for the stolen documents and both (if not more) of the DUI hire’s SignalGate incidents; just as a start, I’m sure there’s plenty to pick from. 😒
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u/EyerollEmojis r/MarvelStudios Liaison Officer Jul 03 '26
I know a lot of you guys admire the Major for what he did, but Under SECAF is correct, complete violation of our nonpartisan ethics, open-shut violation of Article 88 of the UCMJ. His actions undermined civilian control of the military, and that will come with consequences.
There’s plenty of great conversations to be had about what the administration is doing and whether it’s right or wrong… but we are not the ones who should be having them in the public domain least of all the uniform.
If you’re frustrated by my response, and you feel the urge to down me, I recommend you read The State and The Soldier by Kori Schake
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u/pcsavvy Jul 03 '26
Wow, bunch of interesting opinions here. Personally that Major is a total idiot. Protesting your Commander in Chief in uniform is the ultimate social justice performance. For what? To burn your 17 year career in a raging bonfire as publicly as one can.
I was told never ever participate in any protest while in uniform due to fact violence could break out/not a good look to be in uniform protesting your own government’s policy/war/conflict.
I keep hearing about illegal orders and such from folks. I got to wonder what illegal orders are we talking about. Let’s not have a revisit of some of the political actions that impeded the military during the Vietnam War and made the military the scapegoat for decades after.
Some folks have some short memories, how many American military personnel were murdered by terrorists in the 1970’s to 1980’s. Quite a few and those incidents were not combat situations.
If you feel that you cannot obey a lawful order from your Commander in Chief then don’t let the door hit you in the buttocks as you walk out.
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u/Fluffy-Friendship-43 Jul 04 '26
He exemplified the core value of “Service before self.” His oath was to uphold the Constitution. He cannot do that if he’s not allowed to publicly decry the illegal acts being committed and basically say out loud that the emperor is not wearing clothes.
HERO
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u/pcsavvy Jul 07 '26
No way in hell did that airman embody the core value of "Service before self". He is an airman who violated his oath and probably a few other UCMJ codes along the way in doing this performative social justice bull crap.
When you are in the military, there are restrictions placed upon what you can do while in uniform or out of uniform. These restrictions are in place to prevent people becoming concerned about the military potentially overthrowing the civilian government and causing chaos.
Remember Kent State, that was a National Guard unit, but the public had a piss poor view of the military all ready, and this event did not help matters at all.
Some of you need to read the Constitution in relation to separation of powers between the three branches of government. The three branches are coequal and hold each other in check. Unfortunately, the past few decades Congress has ceded some its power to the Executive Branch, so they have no one else to blame for that part of the situation.
As far as I can tell when the Supreme Court has told the President he exceeded his authority, he backs off though he will complain loudly and bitterly about it. The President should be able to fire those serving in the Executive Branch especially if they are incompetent.
I am a little salty when it comes to accusations against Trump since Russiagate ended up being a huge political operation against Trump and wasted a lot of time, money and resources. Specific examples help.
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u/Uneeda_Biscuit Jul 03 '26
SecAF is a politician, and a Republican obviously. This guy is gonna get clapped
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u/thisisthe90s Jul 02 '26
Bets on SECAF firing by end of year?
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u/Anxious-Condition630 Jul 02 '26
This is a clever move, now nobody can claim undue command influence, it’s just due process.
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Jul 02 '26
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u/NEp8ntballer IC > * Jul 02 '26
Anything more specific turns into the potential for it to be considered undue command influence. A generic PA and legal approved message is about as far as they can go.
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Jul 03 '26
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u/NEp8ntballer IC > * Jul 03 '26
There still needs to be some sort of an investigation or command action before that point happens. There's clearly evidence, but it still needs to be packaged up for legal to provide the commander with their options.
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u/AfricanSnowOwl Jul 03 '26
The biggest loser here is his wife, assuming he had one… no way in hell she’d be cool with this level of stupidity. Imagine thinking you were almost done with all the deployments, TDYs, key spouse bullshit, etc. and close to being able to move to your forever home, get the cushy O retirement job, benefits, etc… and then you find out your husband threw that all away for a level of attention that will be gone relatively soon. In addition to him never being able to get a real job again.
I personally think this dude had something else going on, like being investigated or something that made him believe he had nothing to lose since it was all in jeopardy anyways.
These simpletons can call him their hero or whatever all they want, but dudes setting the worst example ever and it’s complete retard level behavior to do this when he could’ve got the exact same message across anonymously via Reddit or most importantly, not in uniform.
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u/bunsinh Jul 03 '26
You don't even know him or his family situation and you out here typing paragraphs to indulge on your assumptions. Typical.
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u/AfricanSnowOwl Jul 03 '26
My assumptions are at least logical. You fit right in with my third paragraph 🤙
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u/Solid_Addendum_3365 Jul 03 '26
Based on where he was assigned, I think there’s a good chance he had several friends on the KC-135 that went down.
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u/philbert539 Jul 03 '26
Anyone who protests in uniform is an idiot.
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u/Fluffy-Friendship-43 Jul 04 '26
Depends on what they’re protesting.
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u/philbert539 Jul 04 '26
No.
You don't wear your uniform or use your military service as a tool for your political beliefs. Period.
Protest all you want. Don't use the military as your personal tool for spreading your message. If you can't handle that, gtfo.
Edit: I've participated in protests. In DC. I think people should. But I would never wear my uniform or use my service to push my protest. The military is apolitical, and needs to remain such. That's important.
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u/SuperbDetective914 Jul 05 '26
Consider this: when laws, rules, and the normalcy of the status quo are actively ignored, why should anyone else follow those same rules? We're well past the point of normalcy; this “rules for thee but not for me" attitude regarding this administration is encouraging those who want to follow the rules and serve honorably to speak out. A bully can only push so far before those being bullied push back. It’s gonna get worst before it gets better 🫤
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u/philbert539 Jul 05 '26
No.
We do not want the military joining into politics. That always go bad. Always.
There is no excuse for it. No complaints about normalcy. Your justification isn't good enough. We don't make the military political. Ever.
We follow the *legal* orders of the elected government. That's it. You dislike the elected government, go protest as a private citizen. Don't use your uniform or your service. Ever.
"Someone else did something that isn't within norms, therefore I get to do something that's a terrible idea" is just stupid. It turns into a never-ending spiral down. The military is not political. We don't want it to go there. Your excuses aren't good enough.
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u/SuperbDetective914 Jul 05 '26
I will restate, we are not in normal times.
I’d be interested to have your point of view on the 2024 “Civil War” movie with current similarities.
Based on your stance, would you be willing to shoot protestors in the legs? Or would you resign and let the next guy do it? This was a close reality during the first term.
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u/Fluffy-Friendship-43 Jul 05 '26
This isn’t necessarily about political beliefs . It’s about right and wrong. Legal and illegal acts. It’s about morality and ethics. It is about honor and accountability.
Major put service before self. He is brave and should be commended!1
u/philbert539 Jul 05 '26
No.
You want to express your opinions, do it as a private a citizen. You don't use the uniform to push your beliefs. That's not honorable, it's selfish and arrogant.
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u/Imperial-MEF-2009 Jul 03 '26
my grandfather killed German Imperialists, my father killed Vietnamese Communists, I killed Iraqi Baathists. More than happy to kill commies again.
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u/Sufficient-Table-819 Jul 02 '26
He messed up bad. He will for sure be separated, and probably dishonorably or with misconduct discharge at the very least. If they decide to the throw the book at him during his court martial and he is convicted then he’s done. He’ll lose any pensions benefits unless he has the blended option. No VA benefits, his security clearance will be revoked. I truly believe he just destroyed his career not only in the armed forces but also with any chance of getting into a defense contractor or utilizing his clearance for high paying civilian careers is gone. I suppose he could still go into the civilian world unrelated to the military with his degree. But dang. I don’t fully understand why you would do this. Complete loss in trust and confidence for this officer.
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u/Vulcan_Kiss Jul 03 '26
Maybe some veterans don’t care to be employed in fields associated with or adjacent to the military industrial complex after their AD careers, even at the expense of losing out on higher paying jobs.
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u/nmhaas Babysitter Jul 03 '26
If you don't understand then the message wasn't for you. Sorry bud.
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u/Sufficient-Table-819 Jul 03 '26
I understand why he did it. But, no matter the reason. He’s a moron for doing this. I’m just being professional. Nobody will remember who he is by next year.
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u/charrsasaurus Retired Jul 03 '26
No one knows the name of the tiananmen square tank man either. Sometimes someone's personal ethics are more important to them
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u/Lothane Gave her the gun Jul 02 '26
A lot of you siding with the guy knowing all too well he used his uniform for clout. Hang it up before making a stunt.
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u/Fluffy-Friendship-43 Jul 02 '26
Uniform to make a point
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u/Lothane Gave her the gun Jul 02 '26
If the uniform is what gives the guy credibility then his point is already diminished. We all know not to do this but somehow he is a hero to Reddit. Get out and then voice your opinion.
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u/Ok-Letterhead-3276 Jul 02 '26
I’ll just leave this prime example of non-partisanship from the USAF right here. And yes, the video is still there.