Excerpt of a leter by Dr. Robert Bowman

Editor's Note: In this excerpt of an open to the US military, by Dr. Robert Bowman rightly indicates that US military personnel do not just follow orders, and may have to arrest those who gave the illegal orders.

By Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Lt. Col., USAF, ret., National Commander, The Patriots

"The Nuremberg Principles says that we in the military have not only the right, but also the DUTY to refuse an illegal order. It was on this basis that we executed Nazi officers who were 'only carrying out their orders'... The Constitution which we are sworn to uphold says that treaties entered into by the United States are the 'highest law of the land,' equivalent to the Constitution itself. Accordingly, we in the military are sworn to uphold treaty law, including the United Nations charter and the Geneva Convention... Based on the above, I contend that should some civilian order you to initiate a nuclear attack on Iran (for example), you are duty-bound to refuse that order. I might also suggest that you should consider whether the circumstances demand that you arrest whoever gave the order as a war criminal."