#CountryFirst

Retired United States Army General Mark A. Milley is known for not mincing words. During his retirement ceremony in September 2023, after more than four decades of military service including multiple combat deployments and serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Trump and Biden Administrations, Milley gave an impassioned speech about the importance of the Constitution, especially to those who serve in uniform. Calling it the “moral North Star,” Milley said the Constitution “gives purpose to our service … [and] purpose to our lives.” He further stated:

“We don’t take an oath to a king, or a queen, or to a tyrant or dictator, and we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator. We don’t take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution, and we take an oath to the idea that is America, and we’re willing to die to protect it.

In a 2022 interview with FOX News, Milley similarly remarked about his oath to the Constitution, and the idea that all Americans are created equal endowed by the creator with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He stressed that we are all Americans and one country, regardless of gender, race, religion or where we came from, with fundamental rights to liberty and freedom.

Following the events of January 6, 2021, Milley co-signed a letter to the Joint Force from the Joint Chiefs of Staff condemning the violent attack on the Capitol as a direct assault on our Constitutional process and rule of law. The letter further stated: "As Service Members, we must embody the values and ideals of the Nation. We support and defend the Constitution. Any act to disrupt the Constitutional process is not only against our traditions, values, and oath; it is against the law."

Shortly after his retirement as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in an interview with All Things Considered on NPR and a more lengthy interview on 60 Minutes, Milley affirmed his belief that the military is non-partisan and has no role in domestic politics.

During the 60 Minutes interview, Milley also confirmed that, shortly after then President Trump's infamous stroll across Washington, DC’s Lafayette Square Park and photo op with a Bible outside St. John's Episcopal Church in June 2020 at the height of the George Floyd protests, Milley penned a resignation letter to the President. Ultimately instead of resigning, Milley reportedly decided to fight his battle from inside the government, allegedly saying, “If they want to court-martial me, or put me in prison, have at it. But I will fight from the inside.”

Here is the full text from Milley's draft resignation letter that was never sent:

“I regret to inform you that I intend to resign as your Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Thank you for the honor of appointing me as senior ranking officer. The events of the last couple weeks have caused me to do deep soul-searching, and I can no longer faithfully support and execute your orders as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It is my belief that you were doing great and irreparable harm to my country. I believe that you have made a concerted effort over time to politicize the United States military. I thought that I could change that. I’ve come to the realization that I cannot, and I need to step aside and let someone else try to do that.

Second, you are using the military to create fear in the minds of the people—and we are trying to protect the American people. I cannot stand idly by and participate in that attack, verbally or otherwise, on the American people. The American people trust their military and they trust us to protect them against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and our military will do just that. We will not turn our back on the American people.

Third, I swore an oath to the Constitution of the United States and embodied within that Constitution is the idea that says that all men and women are created equal. All men and women are created equal, no matter who you are, whether you are white or Black, Asian, Indian, no matter the color of your skin, no matter if you’re gay, straight or something in between. It doesn’t matter if you’re Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jew, or choose not to believe. None of that matters. It doesn’t matter what country you came from, what your last name is—what matters is we’re Americans. We’re all Americans. That under these colors of red, white, and blue—the colors that my parents fought for in World War II—means something around the world. It’s obvious to me that you don’t think of those colors the same way I do. It’s obvious to me that you don’t hold those values dear and the cause that I serve.

And lastly it is my deeply held belief that you’re ruining the international order, and causing significant damage to our country overseas, that was fought for so hard by the Greatest Generation that they instituted in 1945. Between 1914 and 1945, 150 million people were slaughtered in the conduct of war. They were slaughtered because of tyrannies and dictatorships. That generation, like every generation, has fought against that, has fought against fascism, has fought against Nazism, has fought against extremism. It’s now obvious to me that you don’t understand that world order. You don’t understand what the war was all about. In fact, you subscribe to many of the principles that we fought against. And I cannot be a party to that. It is with deep regret that I hereby submit my letter of resignation."

As the November 2024 elections draw near, the former President's Chief of Staff John Kelly and other former Trump aides, along with a bipartisan group of National Security Leaders comprised of over 230 general and flag officers, including 15 retired four-star generals and admirals, 10 cabinet secretaries, 10 service secretaries, and 148 ambassadors, are speaking out about the imminent threat the former President poses to America's democratic system and rule of law. Many who worked directly for the former President have voiced concerns over his consistent disrespect towards the military and his utter disdain and derogatory comments about fallen soldiers and veterans, despite never serving himself. In its letter denouncing the former President as unfit to be Commander-in-Chief, the National Security Leaders for America concludes:

"We believe, as President Ronald Reagan said, that “America is a shining city on a hill.” Yet in this election, one of President Reagan’s more ominous warnings is equally relevant. “Freedom,” he said, “is never more than one generation away from extinction.”

Will Americans heed the warnings, and put country first regardless of political party? Please consider liking or reposting in support of democracy, freedom and liberty for all. #CountryFirst