LC Bowman: An Open Letter to the New Generation of Military Officers Serving and Protecting Our Nation

An Open Letter to the New Generation of Military Officers Serving and
Protecting Our Nation

By Dr. Robert M. Bowman
Lt. Col., USAF, ret., National Commander, The Patriots

"The Nuremberg Principles says that we in the military have not only
the right, but also the DUTY to refuse an illegal order. It was on
this basis that we executed Nazi officers who were 'only carrying out
their orders'... The Constitution which we are sworn to uphold says
that treaties entered into by the United States are the 'highest law
of the land,' equivalent to the Constitution itself. Accordingly, we
in the military are sworn to uphold treaty law, including the United
Nations charter and the Geneva Convention... Based on the above, I
contend that should some civilian order you to initiate a nuclear
attack on Iran (for example), you are duty-bound to refuse that order.
I might also suggest that you should consider whether the
circumstances demand that you arrest whoever gave the order as a war
criminal."


Dear Comrades in Arms,

You are facing challenges in 2007 that we of previous generations
never dreamed of. I'm just an old fighter pilot (101 combat missions
in Vietnam , F-4 Phantom, Phu Cat, 1969-1970) who's now a disabled
veteran with terminal cancer from Agent Orange. Our mailing list (over
22,000) includes veterans from all branches of the service, all
political parties, and all parts of the political spectrum. We are
Republicans and Democrats, Greens and Libertarians, Constitutionists
and Reformers, and a good many Independents. What unites us is our
desire for a government that (1) follows the Constitution, (2) honors
the truth, and (3) serves the people.

We see our government going down the wrong path, all too often
ignoring military advice, and heading us toward great danger. And we
look to you who still serve as the best hope for protecting our nation
from disaster.

We see the current Iraq War as having been unnecessary, entered into
under false pretenses, and horribly mismanaged by the civilian
authorities. Thousands of our brave troops have been needlessly
sacrificed in a futile attempt at occupation of a hostile land. Many
more thousands have suffered wounds which will change their lives
forever. Tens of thousands have severe psychological problems because
of what they have seen and what they have done. Potentially hundreds
of thousands could be poisoned by depleted uranium, with symptoms
appearing years later, just as happened to us exposed to Agent Orange.
The military services are depleted and demoralized. The VA system is
under-funded and overwhelmed. The National Guard and Reserves have
been subjected to tour after tour, disrupting lives for even the lucky
ones who return intact. Jobs have been lost, marriages have been
destroyed, homes have been foreclosed, and children have been
estranged. And for what? We have lost allies, made new enemies, and
created thousands of new terrorists, further endangering the American
people.

But you know all this. I'm sure you also see the enormous danger in a
possible attack on Iran , possibly with nuclear weapons. Such an
event, seriously contemplated by the Cheney faction of the Bush
administration, would make enemies of Russia and China and turn us
into the number one rogue nation on earth. The effect on our long-
term national security would be devastating.

Some of us had hoped that the new Democratic Congress would end the
occupation of Iraq and take firm steps to prevent an attack on Iran ,
perhaps by impeaching Bush and Cheney. These hopes have been dashed.
The lily-livered Democrats have caved in, turning their backs on those
few (like Congressman Jack Murtha) who understand the situation. Many
of us have personally walked the halls of Congress, to no avail.

This is where you come in.

We know that many of you share our concern and our determination to
protect our republic from an arrogant, out-of-control, imperial
presidency and a compliant, namby-pamby Congress (both of which are
unduly influenced by the oil companies and other big-money interests).
We know that you (like us) wouldn't have pursued a military career
unless you were idealistic and devoted to our nation and its people.
(None of us do it for the pay and working conditions!) But we also
recognize that you may not see how you can influence these events. We
in the military have always had a historic subservience to civilian
authority.

Perhaps I can help with whatever wisdom I've gathered from age (I
retired in 1978, so I am ancient indeed).

Our oath of office is to "protect and defend the Constitution of the
United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic." Might I
suggest that this includes a rogue president and vice-president?
Certainly we are bound to carry out the legal orders of our superiors.
But the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) which binds all of us
enshrines the Nuremberg Principles which this country established
after World War II (which you are too young to remember). One of those
Nuremberg Principles says that we in the military have not only the
right, but also the DUTY to refuse an illegal order. It was on this
basis that we executed Nazi officers who were "only carrying out their
orders."

The Constitution which we are sworn to uphold says that treaties
entered into by the United States are the "highest law of the land,"
equivalent to the Constitution itself. Accordingly, we in the military
are sworn to uphold treaty law, including the United Nations charter
and the Geneva Convention.

Based on the above, I contend that should some civilian order you to
initiate a nuclear attack on Iran (for example), you are duty- bound
to refuse that order. I might also suggest that you should consider
whether the circumstances demand that you arrest whoever gave the
order as a war criminal.

I know for a fact that in recent history (once under Nixon and once
under Reagan), the military nuclear chain of command in the White
House discussed these things and were prepared to refuse an order to
"nuke Russia ." In effect they took the (non-existent) "button" out of
the hands of the President.. We were thus never quite as close to
World War III as many feared, no matter how irrational any president
might have become. They determined that the proper response to any
such order was, "Why, sir?" Unless there was (in their words) a "damn
good answer," nothing was going to happen.

I suggest that if you in this generation have not had such a
discussion, perhaps it is time you do. In hindsight, it's too bad such
a discussion did not take place prior to the preemptive "shock and
awe" attack on Baghdad . Many of us at the time spoke out vehemently
that such an attack would be an impeachable offense, a war crime
against the people of Iraq , and treason against the United States of
America . But our voices were drowned out and never reached the ears
of the generals in 2003. I now regret that I never sent a letter such
as this at that time, but depended on the corporate media to carry my
message. I must not make that mistake again.

Also in hindsight, President Bush could be court-martialed for abuse
of power as Commander-in-Chief. Vice President Cheney could probably
be court-martialed for his performance as Acting Commander- in-Chief
in the White House bunker the morning of September 11, 2001 .

We in the U.S. military would never consider a military coup, removing
an elected president and installing one of our own. But following our
oath of office, obeying the Nuremberg Principles, and preventing a
rogue president from committing a war crime is not a military coup. If
it requires the detention of executive branch officials, we will not
impose a military dictatorship. We will let the Constitutional
succession take place. This is what we are sworn to. This is
protecting the Constitution, our highest obligation. In 2007, this is
what is meant by "Duty, Honor, Country."

Thank you all for your service to this nation. May God bless America ,
and sustain us in this difficult time. And thanks for listening to the
musings of an old junior officer.

Respectfully,

Robert M. Bowman, PhD, Lt. Col., USAF, ret.

####################

"The official story of 9/11 is a bunch of hogwash. It's impossible.
High levels of our government don't want us to know
what happened and who's responsible. "

- Colonel Bob Bowman (USAF Ret), Caltech PhD in Nuclear Engineering
and Aeronautics,
decorated combat fighter pilot (101 missions in Vietnam), and former
head of
Presidents Ford and Carter's 'Star Wars' program

www.patriotsquestion911.com

On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:13:49 -0000, Jim34
wrote:

An Open Letter to the New Generation of Military Officers Serving and
Protecting Our Nation

By Dr. Robert M. Bowman
Lt. Col., USAF, ret., National Commander, The Patriots


This guy is an incredible flake. Runs his own church, believes the
government was complicit in 9/11, runs with the Berkeley crowd, etc.
etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_M._Bowman

An embarrassment.

Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com

On Sep 15, 1:13 pm, Jim34 wrote:
An Open Letter to the New Generation of Military Officers Serving and
Protecting Our Nation

By Dr. Robert M. Bowman
Lt. Col., USAF, ret., National Commander, The Patriots

"The Nuremberg Principles says that we in the military have not only
the right, but also the DUTY to refuse an illegal order. It was on
this basis that we executed Nazi officers who were 'only carrying out
their orders'... The Constitution which we are sworn to uphold says
that treaties entered into by the United States are the 'highest law
of the land,' equivalent to the Constitution itself. Accordingly, we
in the military are sworn to uphold treaty law, including the United
Nations charter and the Geneva Convention... Based on the above, I
contend that should some civilian order you to initiate a nuclear
attack on Iran (for example), you are duty-bound to refuse that order.
I might also suggest that you should consider whether the
circumstances demand that you arrest whoever gave the order as a war
criminal."

But, we already anticapted that the moron Washingtoon and Exxon
military would use
that weasely U.N. interpretation of the Constitution.
Which is case you idiots are wondering is
where GPS, Stealth Aircraft, Smart Bombs, ATM machines,
Spell Checkers, and Iggy Pop come from.




Dear Comrades in Arms,

You are facing challenges in 2007 that we of previous generations
never dreamed of. I'm just an old fighter pilot (101 combat missions
in Vietnam , F-4 Phantom, Phu Cat, 1969-1970) who's now a disabled
veteran with terminal cancer from Agent Orange. Our mailing list (over
22,000) includes veterans from all branches of the service, all
political parties, and all parts of the political spectrum. We are
Republicans and Democrats, Greens and Libertarians, Constitutionists
and Reformers, and a good many Independents. What unites us is our
desire for a government that (1) follows the Constitution, (2) honors
the truth, and (3) serves the people.

We see our government going down the wrong path, all too often
ignoring military advice, and heading us toward great danger. And we
look to you who still serve as the best hope for protecting our nation
from disaster.

We see the current Iraq War as having been unnecessary, entered into
under false pretenses, and horribly mismanaged by the civilian
authorities. Thousands of our brave troops have been needlessly
sacrificed in a futile attempt at occupation of a hostile land. Many
more thousands have suffered wounds which will change their lives
forever. Tens of thousands have severe psychological problems because
of what they have seen and what they have done. Potentially hundreds
of thousands could be poisoned by depleted uranium, with symptoms
appearing years later, just as happened to us exposed to Agent Orange.
The military services are depleted and demoralized. The VA system is
under-funded and overwhelmed. The National Guard and Reserves have
been subjected to tour after tour, disrupting lives for even the lucky
ones who return intact. Jobs have been lost, marriages have been
destroyed, homes have been foreclosed, and children have been
estranged. And for what? We have lost allies, made new enemies, and
created thousands of new terrorists, further endangering the American
people.

But you know all this. I'm sure you also see the enormous danger in a
possible attack on Iran , possibly with nuclear weapons. Such an
event, seriously contemplated by the Cheney faction of the Bush
administration, would make enemies of Russia and China and turn us
into the number one rogue nation on earth. The effect on our long-
term national security would be devastating.

Some of us had hoped that the new Democratic Congress would end the
occupation of Iraq and take firm steps to prevent an attack on Iran ,
perhaps by impeaching Bush and Cheney. These hopes have been dashed.
The lily-livered Democrats have caved in, turning their backs on those
few (like Congressman Jack Murtha) who understand the situation. Many
of us have personally walked the halls of Congress, to no avail.

This is where you come in.

We know that many of you share our concern and our determination to
protect our republic from an arrogant, out-of-control, imperial
presidency and a compliant, namby-pamby Congress (both of which are
unduly influenced by the oil companies and other big-money interests).
We know that you (like us) wouldn't have pursued a military career
unless you were idealistic and devoted to our nation and its people.
(None of us do it for the pay and working conditions!) But we also
recognize that you may not see how you can influence these events. We
in the military have always had a historic subservience to civilian
authority.

Perhaps I can help with whatever wisdom I've gathered from age (I
retired in 1978, so I am ancient indeed).

Our oath of office is to "protect and defend the Constitution of the
United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic." Might I
suggest that this includes a rogue president and vice-president?
Certainly we are bound to carry out the legal orders of our superiors.
But the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) which binds all of us
enshrines the Nuremberg Principles which this country established
after World War II (which you are too young to remember). One of those
Nuremberg Principles says that we in the military have not only the
right, but also the DUTY to refuse an illegal order. It was on this
basis that we executed Nazi officers who were "only carrying out their
orders."

The Constitution which we are sworn to uphold says that treaties
entered into by the United States are the "highest law of the land,"
equivalent to the Constitution itself. Accordingly, we in the military
are sworn to uphold treaty law, including the United Nations charter
and the Geneva Convention.

Based on the above, I contend that should some civilian order you to
initiate a nuclear attack on Iran (for example), you are duty- bound
to refuse that order. I might also suggest that you should consider
whether the circumstances demand that you arrest whoever gave the
order as a war criminal.

I know for a fact that in recent history (once under Nixon and once
under Reagan), the military nuclear chain of command in the White
House discussed these things and were prepared to refuse an order to
"nuke Russia ." In effect they took the (non-existent) "button" out of
the hands of the President.. We were thus never quite as close to
World War III as many feared, no matter how irrational any president
might have become. They determined that the proper response to any
such order was, "Why, sir?" Unless there was (in their words) a "damn
good answer," nothing was going to happen.

I suggest that if you in this generation have not had such a
discussion, perhaps it is time you do. In hindsight, it's too bad such
a discussion did not take place prior to the preemptive "shock and
awe" attack on Baghdad . Many of us at the time spoke out vehemently
that such an attack would be an impeachable offense, a war crime
against the people of Iraq , and treason against the United States of
America . But our voices were drowned out and never reached the ears
of the generals in 2003. I now regret that I never sent a letter such
as this at that time, but depended on the corporate media to carry my
message. I must not make that mistake again.

Also in hindsight, President Bush could be court-martialed for abuse
of power as Commander-in-Chief. Vice President Cheney could probably
be court-martialed for his performance as Acting Commander- in-Chief
in the White House bunker the morning of September 11, 2001 .

We in the U.S. military would never consider a military coup, removing
an elected president and installing one of our own. But following our
oath of office, obeying the Nuremberg Principles, and preventing a
rogue president from committing a war crime is not a military coup. If
it requires the detention of executive branch officials, we will not
impose a military dictatorship. We will let the Constitutional
succession take place. This is what we are sworn to. This is
protecting the Constitution, our highest obligation. In 2007, this is
what is meant by "Duty, Honor, Country."

Thank you all for your service to this nation. May God bless America ,
and sustain us in this difficult time. And thanks for listening to the
musings of an old junior officer.

Respectfully,

Robert M. Bowman, PhD, Lt. Col., USAF, ret.

####################

"The official story of 9/11 is a bunch of hogwash. It's impossible.
High levels of our government don't want us to know
what happened and who's responsible. "

- Colonel Bob Bowman (USAF Ret), Caltech PhD in Nuclear Engineering
and Aeronautics,
decorated combat fighter pilot (101 missions in Vietnam), and former
head of
Presidents Ford and Carter's 'Star Wars' program

www.patriotsquestion911.com

On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:13:49 -0000, Jim34
wrote:

Perhaps I can help with whatever wisdom I've gathered from age (I
retired in 1978, so I am ancient indeed).

I retired from the U.S. Navy in 1973 as a Chief Petty Officer.
With all due respect, sir, I think you, and all who think
as you do, are full of crap.

"Ed Rasimus" wrote
On Sat, 15 Sep Jim34 wrote:
An Open Letter to the New Generation of Military Officers Serving
and Protecting Our Nation
By Dr. Robert M. Bowman
Lt. Col., USAF, ret., National Commander, The Patriots

This guy is an incredible flake. Runs his own church, believes the
government was complicit in 9/11, runs with the Berkeley crowd, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_M._Bowman
An embarrassment. Ed Rasimus

My thoughts are same as Ed's.

Meanwhile (related, but not central),
I'm willing to be informed about something that
early in Bowman's letter jiggled my "flake meter".

Bowman says,
"I'm just an old fighter pilot (101 combat missions in
Vietnam , F-4 Phantom, Phu Cat, 1969-1970) who's now a
disabled veteran with terminal cancer from Agent Orange."

Can someone inform me how a AF F-4 pilot was
that exposed to Agent Orange?
(seems to me a lot of not-vets as well as vets, as they
get past age 70, have increasing cases of various cancers,
"What?! Think you are going to live forever?!")

On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 08:53:57 -0700, "a425couple"
wrote:

"Ed Rasimus" wrote
On Sat, 15 Sep Jim34 wrote:
An Open Letter to the New Generation of Military Officers Serving
and Protecting Our Nation
By Dr. Robert M. Bowman
Lt. Col., USAF, ret., National Commander, The Patriots

This guy is an incredible flake. Runs his own church, believes the
government was complicit in 9/11, runs with the Berkeley crowd, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_M._Bowman
An embarrassment. Ed Rasimus

My thoughts are same as Ed's.

Meanwhile (related, but not central),
I'm willing to be informed about something that
early in Bowman's letter jiggled my "flake meter".

Bowman says,
"I'm just an old fighter pilot (101 combat missions in
Vietnam , F-4 Phantom, Phu Cat, 1969-1970) who's now a
disabled veteran with terminal cancer from Agent Orange."

Can someone inform me how a AF F-4 pilot was
that exposed to Agent Orange?
(seems to me a lot of not-vets as well as vets, as they
get past age 70, have increasing cases of various cancers,
"What?! Think you are going to live forever?!")

Quickly found this:

Military installations throughout southern Viet Nam (e.g., Bien Hoa, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and
Phu Cat) served as bulk storage and supply facilities for Agent Orange (US Army documents,
1969; Cecil, 1986). These storage sites experienced spills of herbicide. In 1970, for example, a
7,500 US gallon spill of Agent Orange occurred on the Bien Hoa base. Between January and
March 1970, three other spills of lesser volume occurred at Bien Hoa (US Army documents,

It's from this report:
http://www.hatfieldgroup.com/files/HATFIELDAO.pdf

Looks pretty professional and credible. Pretty much anybody who set
foot in-country is presumptive for Agent Orange as a causative factor
for some cancers.

(I've got a VA evaluation pending right now for Agent Orange
determination of squamous cell carcinoma, primary tumor undetermined,
manifested in lymph nodes of the neck. Ten and a half hours of surgery
and 39 sessions of radiation in 2003--coming up on my five year
anniversary in January. And, I wasn't stationed in-country, merely
passed through Danang and Bien Hoa and Tan Son Nhut many times.)

And, that manifested at age 60.
Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com

"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
(I've got a VA evaluation pending right now for Agent Orange
determination of squamous cell carcinoma, primary tumor undetermined,
manifested in lymph nodes of the neck. Ten and a half hours of surgery
and 39 sessions of radiation in 2003--coming up on my five year
anniversary in January. And, I wasn't stationed in-country, merely
passed through Danang and Bien Hoa and Tan Son Nhut many times.)


Congrats on your five years, Ed!

As for me, I'm 7 years in remission of a rare bone marrow cancer that is
thought to be caused by, in part, exposure to benzene. Always good to read
stories of other "survivors".

- nilita

"La N" wrote in message
news:7ibJi.89565$bO6.40689@edtnps89...

"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
(I've got a VA evaluation pending right now for Agent Orange
determination of squamous cell carcinoma, primary tumor undetermined,
manifested in lymph nodes of the neck. Ten and a half hours of surgery
and 39 sessions of radiation in 2003--coming up on my five year
anniversary in January. And, I wasn't stationed in-country, merely
passed through Danang and Bien Hoa and Tan Son Nhut many times.)


Congrats on your five years, Ed!

As for me, I'm 7 years in remission of a rare bone marrow cancer that is
thought to be caused by, in part, exposure to benzene. Always good to
read stories of other "survivors".

- nilita

Good going. I'm out of prostate and bladder cancer. When I was diagnosed I
went into the Agent Orange Study. The VA gave me a physical and they send
updates quarterly. The presumptive correlation was made so they could get
vets into VA to do the study. But according to one of the latest updates,
it appears that there is no provable correlation. Heres what they said....

"At the end of the 20 years of follow-up, Ranch Hand pilots and ground crews
as a group exhibited no statistically significant increase in the risk of
cancer. Differences by military occupation were inconsistent. The Ranch Hand
enlisted ground crews, the subgroup with the highest dioxin levels and
presumably the greatest herbicide exposure, had a 14 percent decreased risk
of cancer. These results do not suggest that herbicides or dioxin exposure
are related to cancer in these veterans."

This info does not really help anyone who has cancer, but at least it's one
thing to check off the list. My urologist told me that "if you are a man,
and if you live long enough, you'll die of prostate cancer." So it comes,
no matter what the cause. Take an annual PSA test, and at least you'll know
what to consider doing about it.

Ed,

Kudos, too, on your five years.

My urologist told me that "if you are a man, and if you live long enough, you'll die of prostate cancer."

I've heard a parallel thought: "Every man alive will die of prostate cancer unless something else - like old age - kills him first."

--
Mike Kanze

"The greatest threat to our democracy is not from evil or incompetent leaders, but from an electorate with the attention span of a gerbil on crack."

- James Tulip, San Francisco Chronicle (7/25/2007)

"Billzz" wrote in message ...

"La N" wrote in message
news:7ibJi.89565$bO6.40689@edtnps89...

"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
(I've got a VA evaluation pending right now for Agent Orange
determination of squamous cell carcinoma, primary tumor undetermined,
manifested in lymph nodes of the neck. Ten and a half hours of surgery
and 39 sessions of radiation in 2003--coming up on my five year
anniversary in January. And, I wasn't stationed in-country, merely
passed through Danang and Bien Hoa and Tan Son Nhut many times.)


Congrats on your five years, Ed!

As for me, I'm 7 years in remission of a rare bone marrow cancer that is
thought to be caused by, in part, exposure to benzene. Always good to
read stories of other "survivors".

- nilita

Good going. I'm out of prostate and bladder cancer. When I was diagnosed I
went into the Agent Orange Study. The VA gave me a physical and they send
updates quarterly. The presumptive correlation was made so they could get
vets into VA to do the study. But according to one of the latest updates,
it appears that there is no provable correlation. Heres what they said....

"At the end of the 20 years of follow-up, Ranch Hand pilots and ground crews
as a group exhibited no statistically significant increase in the risk of
cancer. Differences by military occupation were inconsistent. The Ranch Hand
enlisted ground crews, the subgroup with the highest dioxin levels and
presumably the greatest herbicide exposure, had a 14 percent decreased risk
of cancer. These results do not suggest that herbicides or dioxin exposure
are related to cancer in these veterans."

This info does not really help anyone who has cancer, but at least it's one
thing to check off the list. My urologist told me that "if you are a man,
and if you live long enough, you'll die of prostate cancer." So it comes,
no matter what the cause. Take an annual PSA test, and at least you'll know
what to consider doing about it.

Ed Rasimus wrote:


Looks pretty professional and credible. Pretty much anybody who set
foot in-country is presumptive for Agent Orange as a causative factor
for some cancers.

(I've got a VA evaluation pending right now for Agent Orange
determination of squamous cell carcinoma, primary tumor undetermined,
manifested in lymph nodes of the neck. Ten and a half hours of surgery
and 39 sessions of radiation in 2003--coming up on my five year
anniversary in January. And, I wasn't stationed in-country, merely
passed through Danang and Bien Hoa and Tan Son Nhut many times.)

And, that manifested at age 60.
Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com

Ed, I missed this earlier

First of all, best hope for best outcome

Just a question where did you get treated?

Vince