Reviews
J. Youngblood: Wonderful, Insightful Book
J. Youngblood
From Amazon
Officer's Oath is a wonderful book of one man's pursuit of the truth and how the US Military brotherhood turned on its own and the persecution Terry Lakin endured because of it. I thought each essay was very well-written but I was especially impressed by Cmdr. Charles Kerchner's essay. I do think that the authors should have added a picture to each person who contributed their own essay. Below are some thoughts about the book.
Terry Lakin had a tough decision to make. What Lakin did was highly respectful and honorable. Lakin stood by his God sworn oath to "Protect and Defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC". Because Obama is the Command in Chief, all military orders derive their authority through the Chain of Command. If Obama is ineligible, then all military orders are unlawful since their authority for them derives from the Chain of Command and Obama sits at the top of the Chain of Command. If Obama is ineligible, he is a domestic enemy of the Constitution and it would be Lakin's God sworn oath and duty not to obey any order that comes from him. Lakin was asked to deploy to Afghanistan and to be put in harm's way. This was a direct result of policy set by Obama who was Command in Chief. There was severe doubt to Obama's eligibility to be the Command in Chief and it was Lakin's sworn duty and oath to ask the question, pursue the truth and to refuse any and all orders that stem from that policy.
Lakin displayed far more courage and respect that any elected official that I can think of. (except for Sheriff Joe Arpaio.) Not one Congressman, Senator, Governor, or Secretary of State has ever had the courage to tackle this fundamental and serious question regarding Obama's eligibility. Terry Lakin truly had the intestinal fortitude to pursue the matter.
In reading the book, Lakin received very poor legal advice or counsel from both Jensen and Puckett. Neither one seemed to really care or put up a fight. I was especially appalled that Puckett didn't even have the respect or decency to stand by Lakin's side when he was sentenced. Would you want a lawyer like that defending you?
I also feel that Lakin received a travesty of justice as he was denied fundamental due process at the hands of a corrupt military judge. Even more stunning was the fact that there were several high profile military attorneys who were following this case. They were highly, highly critical of Lakin's actions and attacked him at every opportunity unmercifully. What is stunning about these attorneys was this fact - That these attorneys were actually advocates for the protection of due process rights of 911 GITMO TERRORISTS! It just goes to show you what type of people Lakin was dealing with.
Personally, I think Lakin should have hired Orly Taitz to be his attorney. Orly is a ruthless and a relentless fighter of justice and would have battled tooth and nail at every opportunity with Judge Denise Lind to insure Lakin received a fair trial. There would have been no way Orly would have allowed the kangaroo court to proceed against Terry Lakin. Puckett put on a very weak case and didn't even have the respect of standing with Lakin as he was sentenced. If one needs further insight for the protection of due process and the right to a fair trial, take the Zimmerman case in Florida regarding the shooting of Travon Martin. Zimmerman's lawyer is fighting tooth and nail to insure that Zimmerman receives a fair trial.
It was also a travesty of justice that not one Congressman bothered to attend the trial which was only an hour distant from Washington DC. Senator John McCain in Arizona did nothing even though he was briefed in full about the case. Senator McCain chose not to stand by his brother.
Of course, the one person who was most culpable in this whole situation was Barack Obama. Obama could have resolved this situation by releasing his birth certificate from Hawaii. Obama choose to do nothing and allowed a decorated 18 year military veteran to ruin his career and reputation. As Obama put it, it was only after "carnival barkers" kept harping on the issue did Obama decide to release his birth certificate to end the "silliness." Are we to believe now that LTC Terry Lakin was a "carnival barker" and the prospect of the Army having its own valuable doctor refusing military orders because Obama won't release his birth certificate as a situation that amounted to "silliness?" I don't think so and it's clear the Army didn't think it was "silliness" as well. In this situation, Obama as the Commander in Chief was nothing but shame and every one should know about Terry's Lakin's story.
In the end, everyone let down Terry Lakin. His coworkers, Congress, the President and even his attorneys. Terry stood alone and never received an ounce of justice or due process. I certainly hope that Terry receives a healthy portion of the proceeds of my book about his story. It's the least I can do for Lakin as he is certainly entitled to receive just and fair compensation of what was robbed from him.