The war in Iraq is proving unpopular with the public. It is also proving to be unpopular with at least some of the soldiers ordered to fight there.
Although this officer, by the name of Ehren Watada, is not unique in his opposition to the war, he has decided to refuse orders to proceed to Iraq.
Talk about balancing competing principles. On one hand, the military must enforce discipline. That is, orders must be carried out. Not necessarily without question, but they must be carried out. If discipline is not enforced, people may die. This is not a theoretical concern fit only for philosophical discussions. For example, in times of war, if someone is ordered to transport ammunition to a location, something that can be dangerous, but refuses to do so, those who need the ammunition may be killed by the enemy for want of that ammunition. It can and is life or death.
On the other hand, what happens if the soldier believes an order is illegal or immoral? I'm no lawyer and I certainly don't know military law but does a soldier owe a higher allegiance to God or the Constitution? For example, if a soldier is ordered to round up everyone who is a Jew, place them in a concentration camp, kill them, and then take the gold fillings from their teeth, should those orders be carried out?
During the Nuremberg Trials, one of the defenses used by the Nazis was that they were simply following orders. Discipline, they said, must be kept. You must obey orders. For the most part, these people were not monsters. They were, to a large extent, just like you or I. But they were faced with a terrible moral choice: follow orders or take the consequences. Many followed their orders. It is what they were trained to do and is what they did.
I don't know for sure what I would do if I were in the boots of a soldier who believed the war he was being ordered to was illegal and immoral. I pray that I never have to face that choice because I fear I would fail to do the right thing.
The question is, what is the right thing?
Disclosure: In the case of some conscientious objectors, which as a Seventh-day Adventist, I am, I am opposed to bearing arms during time of war. However, and I want to make this clear, it does not mean I would not serve. I would be proud to serve as a medical corpsman (as did this man who earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery in the face of enemy fire). But I would not seek out war, nor would I break the Commandment against killing. To do so would be counter to the way I was raised, the way I believe, and the religion I follow.
In this case, the officer is not a conscientious objector. He says he is not opposed to all wars, just the one in Iraq. I can't see into his heart so I don't know if he is telling the truth. But I believe he will be severely judged and may have to accept a steep penalty for his choice.
Aloha!
