{"id":18758,"date":"2025-10-28T19:50:40","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T18:50:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kaizen-blog.org\/?p=18758"},"modified":"2025-10-28T19:50:43","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T18:50:43","slug":"zwischen-eid-und-gewissen-soldaten-gegen-den-praesidenten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kaizen-blog.org\/en\/zwischen-eid-und-gewissen-soldaten-gegen-den-praesidenten\/","title":{"rendered":"Between Oath and Conscience - Soldiers Against the President"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chicago - In a country that loves to celebrate its soldiers as heroes, dissent is an act of courage. Two former members of the Illinois National Guard have now crossed that line - and publicly declared that they would defy Donald Trump\u2019s orders. They do not want to be part of an operation that drives the president ever deeper into the use of the military against his own people. Both, who served in the National Guard for years, are now speaking openly about their conscience - even after leaving the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"It is disheartening to be forced to go against your own neighbors,\" says Staff Sergeant Demi Palecek, a Latina and candidate for the Illinois 13th District House seat. \"It feels illegal. This is not what we signed up to do.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Staff Sergeant Demi Palecek<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Palecek and her comrade, Captain Dylan Blaha, also a candidate for the same district, are not agitators or outsiders. Both have served, both know the rules of the system, and yet they have decided not to remain silent. Their voices represent a growing unease within the National Guard ranks since the White House federalized 500 soldiers - including units from Illinois and Texas - to secure so-called \"immigration facilities\" in Chicago. Blaha captures the moral conflict clearly: \"I swore to defend the American people and protect the Constitution. But when someone in power is actively dismantling our rights - free speech, due process, freedom of the press - it\u2019s damn hard to be a soldier today.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their decision has consequences. Refusing a lawful order under federal command carries heavy risks in the United States - from dishonorable discharge to imprisonment. Yet Palecek does not hesitate: \"Absolutely. I would say no. I will not go against my family, my culture, my community. Now is the time to be on the right side of history.\" Blaha draws historical parallels that sound frighteningly relevant in today\u2019s America: \"Look at 1930s and 40s Germany. There comes a point when silence becomes complicity.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Scenes like these are known only from war<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A federal judge has temporarily halted the planned deployment of the National Guard in Chicago - a brief reprieve in a country increasingly accustomed to a permanent state of emergency. But Palecek and Blaha know the pressure remains. Both accuse the Trump administration of using the military as a domestic political tool. \"We\u2019re being used as pawns,\" says Palecek. Blaha adds: \"We\u2019re trained to fight wars - not to assist ICE in spreading violence in our cities. It\u2019s shameful.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Added to this are material humiliations: many soldiers are on duty for only 29 days - too short to qualify for full pay or medical benefits. \"They\u2019re not even getting paid,\" says Blaha. \"Most don\u2019t want to be there. They\u2019re scared.\" The Illinois National Guard later corrected that the orders had been extended to 60 days. But the uncertainty remains. Especially for the roughly 200 Guard members who are not U.S. citizens but serve on green cards. For them, every wrong step, every word against the president, could mean losing their legal status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Captain Dylan Blaha<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"They\u2019re in panic,\" says Palecek. \"They have to choose between their community and their future in this country.\" Programs like \"Parole in Place,\" designed to protect family members of service members from deportation, have been frozen or denied. Palecek\u2019s own application remains unprocessed. \"And then they say, \u2018Why don\u2019t they do it the right way?\u2019 - But that\u2019s exactly what they\u2019re doing,\" she says bitterly. Speaking out has consequences. Blaha temporarily lost his security clearance after posting a video urging soldiers to refuse unlawful orders. \"They twisted my words,\" he says. \"I have 30 days to submit a written response.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n