July 6, 2026 — An Officer and an Oath
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney, author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
Image: militarytimes.com
An interesting event occurred on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on July 3rd. A uniformed U.S. Air Force officer attended a Removal Coalition event that included a serving member of Congress. The Removal Coalition is an activist group. Apparently, the Air Force major believes that the Commander-in-Chief and the Vice President have failed to honor their oaths of office: Air Force Detains Officer Who Called for Trump’s Impeachment at Capitol – The New York Times. There’s that “silly” oath that every government official (elected officials and those hired into a federal government position) and members of the military swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
The catalog of laws and constitutional rights this administration has violated is easy to find. Courts at every level have issued opinions finding actions of this administration contrary to law or constitutional rights. Courts at every level have instructed the administration to correct its conduct to conform to the laws of the United States.
Major Watson is quoted to have said that “Congress remains unconvinced of the urgency and necessity for them [Trump/Vance] to honor their oath, so we must persuade them, with our unrelenting, uncompromising civil resistance.” He also advocated for Americans “to peacefully exercise your First Amendment rights.” Ultimately, he punctuated his attendance at the event by holding a sign reading “Impeach,” “Convict,” and “Remove.”
Active-duty military personnel should know that this conduct will result in some kind of punishment. Indeed, the Air Force secretary has issued a statement saying he expects “every Airman and Guardian to comply with all laws and policies governing personal conduct, political participation, and the wear of the uniform”.
The Air Force officer is likely to find himself the subject of a court-martial and see the end of his military career. It isn’t surprising that an officer who has sworn an oath to serve and support and defend the Constitution might be angered by what he sees as the daily violation of that oath by his ultimate commanders: the men who have the title of President and Vice President.
Many, perhaps most, will react with the view that if the officer wants to make or engage in such political activity, he should resign his commission. Indeed, if one disagrees to that extent with the person who is the Commander-in-Chief, the only viable action is to leave military service in order to avoid having to fulfill orders that one deems to be illegal or serve under a commander who constantly violates the oath.
What this event and its aftermath expose is the contradictory weight and seriousness of the oaths sworn to by members of the military vis-à-vis elected officials. Those who serve in uniform are to take their oath seriously and somehow live up to certain expectations. On the other hand, we have allowed elected officials who represent the people, propose legislation and sign legislation to make it the law of the land to treat the oath as a simple formality to be forgotten after the ceremony.
Unlike the sign on President Truman’s desk that stated, “The buck stops here”, indicating that he accepted the responsibility of his decisions and the weight of his office, we now have elected individuals who want the prestige of office, the celebrity of office, the fame of having a title, but take little or no responsibility.
The Air Force officer who has consciously decided to end his career by his actions reminds us that we have allowed elected officials to ignore their duty to the people and country.
While the Air Force officer is already facing confinement for his actions that violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice, we can only hope that the people of the United States will retain their ability to vote and hold elected officials accountable. It is, however, still a question whether elected members of congress, fearing that they might be held accountable, will take drastic steps to disenfranchise the voters and undermine the right to vote.
About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Click here to learn about all of Tim’s books.
