[goldstategop]

You have to obey orders, stupid or not. After you obey the order, you can take it up with your commanding officer or go up the chain of command. But an enlisted person who happens to be a subordinate is not entitled to decide what order he would like to obey. End of story.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Cicero]

Agreed. I certainly did. And see #18.

The most egregious order we had came down from Defense Secretary McNamara himself in the early Kennedy years. He considered himself an “efficiency expert,” having done so well making Ford Motor Company more efficient.

The order said that any jeeps or trucks that were not being sufficiently used at the company level—which would be determined by their mileage, which had to be reported up the line—would have to be turned back in.

The predictable result was that our company officers ordered us to go out in the desert and drive around in circles, until we had put on the required mileage. They were, of course, absolutely right. If trouble came, we would need those vehicles. No good officer would ever agree to turn company equipment back in if he could help it.

So, out we went into the desert.

A better solution would have been to fire McNamara for stupidity. That would have saved a lot of trouble down the line, when we got into Vietnam.

[VOA]

You have to obey orders, stupid or not.

BUT...
IIRC, you have the option (duty?) to disobey patently ILLEGAL orders.

which is obviously NOT the case with this ex-officer.

Who is THANKFULLY! not in charge of other honorable service
personnel!!!