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The Military Code of Loyalty

Certainly beyond what you see in the civilian world.

This blog post falls into the leadership category.

In the news in recent months there has been the story of the marine lieutenant colonel who made disparaging remarks about the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan and about his chain of command who made those decisions.

I at times called my military service “indentured service” since you give up a number of rights. One of them is the right to speak your mind in public.

The way the military works is you have the right to go to your commanding officer and express your opinions. You may have a lively discussion about any number of subjects, but then that is it.

You are expected to show loyalty to your superiors and to the service itself. The LTC knew what he was doing and was confronted by his superior officers and he refused a direct order to stop.

He got what he deserved, in my opinion! In some places, rules still matter, as does the principal of loyalty to others.
Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.