"...do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..."

"For the good of the Air Force, for the good of the armed services and for the good of our country, I urge you to reject convention and careerism..."
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Maxwell AFB, April 21, 2008

"You will need to challenge conventional wisdom and call things like you see them to subordinates and superiors alike."
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, United States Air Force Academy, March 4, 2011

Monday, November 24, 2025

Seth Hettena Writes About Me Refusing an Unlawful Order in "The After-Action Report"

Trump Says Urging Troops to Refuse Illegal Orders Is “Sedition.” This Air Force Officer Once Did Just That. by Seth Hettena

In 2011, Air Force Maj. Richard Rynearson refused a drone strike he believed was unconstitutional in a real-world test of the debate now consuming Washington.

Read on Substack

I have been contacted a handful of times by reporters wanting to talk about the mission I refused.  I have declined them all.  Despite my lack of cooperation, Seth Hettena went ahead and crafted an article about the unlawful order anyway.

His article is well done and fair.  It's always a pleasant surprise to see a journalist take their job seriously given how vital the profession is to the health of our nation.

You can follow Seth on Twitter and read his article here:

https://theiceman.substack.com/p/trump-says-urging-troops-to-refuse

As our criminal Department of Defense (so incompetent today that it can't even remember its own name) tries to intimidate military officers and retirees (and I have no doubt it will make good on its threats at some point), service members have got to do a gut check.  Refusing unlawful orders is mandatory, it's an obligation, it's not debatable no matter what the domestic enemies of our Constitution might say.  If you can't do it, get out of uniform now because your departure from the service would actually be the best thing you could do for your nation.

Senator Kelly, while a hypocrite who doesn't actually care about the Constitution (simply raising it for his political ambitions) and a threat to our nation as much as the current administration, is nonetheless correct when he says military members must refuse unlawful orders.  Things have gotten very bad in the nation, but they have been bad for a long time, and being a faithful public servant will never be easier than it is today (which is hard).  But there will soon come a day when exercising free speech will be far more difficult than it is today.  Just ask Sophie Scholl about unchecked power.  Then factor in our technology.  While you might feel safe speaking truth and exercising your God given right to free speech to challenge tyranny because you don't have a platform and therefore aren't threat enough to the tyrants, there will come a day when simply having a non-state approved viewpoint will be handled with extreme prejudice.  Use your voice now, be ready for the worst.  Truth is treason in an empire of lies, and it may well cost you everything.  Like it did for Charlie Kirk.

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