Beyond the Headlines: What Viral Video Gets Wrong About Military Professionalism

A video circulated yesterday by some U.S. lawmakers urging U.S. service members to “refuse illegal orders,” and within hours, it had become another lightning rod in a long line of political flashpoints. The video features Democratic U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin (MI) and Mark Kelly (AZ) along with U.S. Representatives Chris Deluzio (PA), Maggie Goodlander (NH) and Chrissy Houlahan (PA). Commentators debated motives, intentions and implications. Social media amplified the noise. People pulled the message in whatever direction suited their narrative.

But for anyone who has worn the uniform, the video missed the most important point of all:
Service members do not need to be reminded of their duty to uphold the law.

The idea that the men and women serving today are unaware of — or indifferent to — their legal and ethical responsibilities is not just inaccurate. It misunderstands the profession entirely.

As a retired Air Force officer, I say that not as an observer, but from experience. I spent years watching airmen, soldiers, sailors, Marines and Guardians hold themselves to standards long before any public figure thought to issue a reminder. No one had to tell them what their oath meant. They lived it — in small decisions, in big moments, and in the countless hours where no one was watching at all.

The Uniform Is Not a Prop

The military is often invoked during moments of national tension. A speech references service. A candidate praises or criticizes a policy involving the Department of Defense. A viral clip surfaces contending that the force needs guidance or correction. In each case, the military becomes a symbol rather than a profession.

That symbolism rarely reflects reality.

Service members are not blank slates waiting to be told what is right. They do not drift through their careers unaware of the law or uncertain of the boundaries of their authority. From the moment they enter the military, they are immersed in a culture that not only teaches legal and ethical limits but enforces them relentlessly.

And crucially, service members don’t carry out their duties based on partisan cues or viral messages. They carry them out because their commitment is to the Constitution, their chain of command, their mission, and each other.

Professionalism Happens Long Before the Camera Turns On

The public rarely sees the quiet, steady professionalism that defines military service. The discipline is not in the headlines. It is in the daily actions that seldom make the news but form the backbone of trust in the force.

It’s in the soldier who pauses training to correct a safety issue no one else noticed; the sailor who refuses to skip a procedural step even when the schedule is tight; the aircrew who double-checks a system even when they are eager to launch; the Marine who questions an ambiguous instruction and seeks clarification before acting; the guardian who elevates concerns when intelligence doesn’t add up.

None of these actions creates viral moments. There’s no dramatic soundtrack. No political framing. But they are the purest expressions of military professionalism.

This is what the public often forgets: service members enforce standards long before anyone outside the base gate ever hears about them.

Lawfulness Is Baked Into the Culture

Military members are not simply told to follow lawful orders — they are trained, evaluated, and held accountable for it throughout their careers. Entire systems exist to reinforce this principle, from the Uniform Code of Military Justice to Judge Advocate General oversight to command inspections and everyday peer accountability.

The profession of arms is built on an internal balance between strength and restraint. Service members are trained to act decisively, but they are also trained to pause, assess, and follow lawful paths—especially in situations where consequences are high and ambiguity is present. That combination of decisive action and disciplined restraint is not accidental. It is engineered into the training pipeline of every branch.

So when a video implies that service members need public reminders to uphold the law, it misses the reality that service members practice lawful decision-making daily—not because someone tells them to, but because it is who they are expected to be.

The Message That Should Have Been Sent

Instead of a message that implies the force is at risk of forgetting its oath, the moment should have been an opportunity to affirm the professionalism service members show every day.

Military members remain one of the most trusted institutions in America not because of political commentary, but because they consistently demonstrate integrity under pressure. Their actions — in the field, in training, and in daily operations — reflect a seriousness about duty that transcends partisan argument.

They deserve to be told that their integrity is recognized, respected and never in doubt.

Holding Steady Amid the Noise

The public narrative will continue to shift. There will always be moments when political actors or outside voices try to pull the military into rhetoric that doesn’t reflect the lived experience of those serving. But nothing about that changes the fundamentals of the profession.

Service members will continue to stand duty, execute missions, follow lawful orders, and uphold standards with the same quiet consistency they always have. Their professionalism is steady, even when the discourse around them is not.

The nation doesn’t need to wonder whether military members know their responsibilities.

They live them — every hour, every day, in every corner of the force.

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