Unfortunately it has become apparent that in this respect, I no longer share the same understanding with the Commander in Chief who appointed me, in regards to the key principle of good order and discipline. I cannot in good conscience obey an order that I believe violates the sacred oath I took in the presence of my family, my flag and my faith to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.
I don’t know the whole story here. But I know that when we start seeing high ranking officials write letters like this time and time again, there is a big problem.
I’ve covered it elsewhere, but I give the LOAC briefs (Law of Armed Conflict) where I explain to deploying soldiers that when we mistreat prisoners it hurts us because enemies willing to be taken prisoner mean less fighting and less dead Americans.
They get that even if a lot of chickenhawks think it’s “weak.”