Presumption of Honor

Oliver North

A talking head on one of the cable news shows recently suggested that a certain political figure wasn't corrupt because he served in the military. He wants us to believe that there's a presumption of honor and integrity that comes with military service. It's true that military training tries to instill these qualities in service members, but does it work with everyone? Does it last when they've left the service?

History shows that military service does not guarantee honorable behavior or respect for the rule of law in spite of millions of veterans who served with honor and distinction. We can see this clearly by looking back at two of our country's worst political crimes: Watergate and the Iran-Contra Affair. In both cases, a majority of the participants in those crimes had served in the military.

The following list shows the participants in these two crimes and the branch of the military they served in. Robert Bork is listed here because of the dishonorable part he played in the Watergate Saturday Night Massacre.

While only Michael Flynn was convicted of crimes, the Trump administration had its share of military people whose honor is in serious question.

There were other high-profile incidents of military scandals. The best known to the American public are Tailhook and the military academy cheating scandals. Tailhook was about sexual assault at an annual military symposium. At least 83 women and 7 men were assaulted by U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviation officers.

There have been two major cheating scandals at the West Point Military Academy. One in 1976 and the other in 2020. The 1976 scandal involved 153 cadets who cheated on an electrical engineering exam. The 2020 scandal involved 70 cadets who cheated on a calculus exam. There have been other more minor cheating incidents at military schools.

Other scandals that were not as well-known but had more serious consequences for our national security include Fat Leonard. All are available for your reading in the Sources section below.

We shouln't exempt public figures from scrutiny because of their military service. Nor should we elect them because of it without examining their credentials further.