MY TURN: Betrayal of our military codes and creeds

While there has been considerable conversation correlated to the United States abandonment of the Afghans in 2021 there is astonishingly little attention to the betrayal of the volunteer U.S. Citizen Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Air Force and Coast Guard Brothers and Sisters by the elected U.S. Political class over that last two decades.

This unfaithfulness took place over 20 years of perpetual expenditure of our blood and our country’s treasure disguised as war. These U.S. Constitutional crimes by the U.S. Political Class are the responsibility of every U.S. President and their administrations since 11 September 2001. Make no mistake we are honored to be counted as a Christians, People of Faith, Americans, members of our military branches and proud of our choice to serve our nation with the finest Brothers and Sisters any Citizen Volunteer could expect.

We are at the same time ashamed and wounded in our souls over the shameful, self-serving deception conducted by our U.S. Political class for the sole purpose of monetary and political gain. This dishonor and infidelity we feel is correlated to every aspect of our current political enterprise. Most importantly we were betrayed by the unconditional surrender, without terms treaty or compact, to the Taliban by our Commander in Chief in July of 2021.

We were ordered to carry out, in violation of every creed and ethos the military holds as the core of our conscience, to abandon the field, throw down our weapons and flee. We did not retrograde, or withdraw, as it is so easily wrapped in Orwellian New Speak and U.S. Government controlled media sources.

The U.S. Military was ordered, by our Commander in Chief, to violate, abandon and forsake the codes and creeds that were as much a part of us as our DNA. These are sacred beliefs, our culture, the very foundation of our identity, and our military conscience, grounded in what defines our humanness. This was a despicable and loathsome act but not as loathsome and despicable as a leader who makes excuses for their responsibilities by, blaming predecessors or opposition personalities, within their own unit or organization for their decisions and failures.

This choice, to force the U.S. Military to abandon our posts, throwing down our “Red Badges” of courage and brandishing the U.S. Politicians’ “Yellow Badge” of cowardice, by the Commander in Chief of the United States, President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr will resound in history. This was not simply a catastrophic mistake for all of humanity but was a deliberate and calculated choice with a desired and intended end state bent on the weaking and destruction of the United States and Her sovereignty.

This will be known for all time as the critical turning point where we, the U.S. Volunteer Citizen Military, was betrayed by the U.S. Political class led by President Biden. This sets the conditions for the next dark age, as in the U.S.A. the modern day Rome, most certainly has fallen. The pestilence of oppression and human suffering will now be ushered in on a global scale and continue to feed the political elites’ bank accounts though the military industrial complex.

This was not anyone else’s fault or responsibility; it was the sole responsibly of President Biden as the Commander in Chief. This has resulted in the breaking of a scared trust between the U.S. Political Class and the Volunteer Citizen who would consider serving our Constitution and the Freedoms contained in it by military service. This trust is now shattered, the relationship betrayed, rendered inoperable and irreparable, moreover dismissed as insignificant by an unrepentant and reprehensible political leadership, on both sides of the isle, which has no moral consciousness or honor.

The Commander in Chief of the United States ordered the U.S. Military to leave American citizens and allies behind, fully knowing this would embolden our enemies, catastrophically weaken our counterterrorism capabilities, and permanently destroy trust with our allies and partners throughout the world. The Biden administration has sought to blame the Afghans and the former administration for a failure that belongs solely to President Biden and his political class.

These are excerpts of the codes and creeds that were, were, the foundation of our Citizen Soldier service, but are now hollow words that mean nothing to the world, our Citizens, our Soldiers, or most importantly our enemies. The deliberate and calculated choice by the U.S. political class to betray our Citizen Soldiers and our allies has rendered the possibility of future service with faith in our elected leadership extremely unlikely. As you read this time honored and gospel like foundations pay focus to the word “never” which means “at no time in the past or future; on no occasion; not ever.”

U.S. Military Code of Conduct:

Article II: I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.

The U.S. Army Soldier’s Creed:

I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade.

U.S. Army Airborne Creed:

I will never surrender while I still have the means to fight, though I may be the last paratrooper.

The U.S. Army Ranger Creed:

Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

The U.S. Army Special Forces Creed:

I will never leave a fallen comrade. I will never surrender though I am the last. If I am taken, I pray that I have the strength to defy my enemy.

The U.S. Army Special Forces Prayer:

May we ever remember that our nation, whose oath "In God We Trust" expects that we shall acquit ourselves with honor, that we may never bring shame upon our faith, our families, or our fellow men.

These words are offered without reservation, are disconnected from regret, nor will repentance follow as this is the required truth connected to Soldierly duty. This is a summary of decades of our loyal and voluntary military service to the United States of America, her Citizens, partners, and allies. The Soldiers, members of our military branches, and Citizens that excuse the dereliction of duty quantified here, using false explanation for the treason that that caused these realities and empirical conditions to realize have lost sight of their sworn oaths.

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SGM (R) Stephen P. Durfee is a Post Falls resident.