“I’m not loyal to a president. I’m supporting and defending the Constitution.” This line has become a rhetorical fixture in a growing protest movement embedded within military culture. I was reminded of it again by recent social media posts—some made by people registering their complaints against Trump Administration policies while wearing military uniforms. These are but two of many such examples that came across my screen over the last few weeks, representing a broader trend: veterans cloaking partisan political activism in the credibility of the uniform.
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This behavior isn’t spontaneous—it was modeled from above. Consider Gen. Mark Milley’s public defense of introducing Marxist doctrine into the ranks under the banner of open intellectual inquiry, and his braggadocio undermining of the civilian chain of command. We saw another clear example from Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s performance during impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, in which the U.S. Army