To the Journal editor:

That statement was heard multiple times from Nazis during the Nuremburg trials after World War II as a defense to allegations that Nazi soldiers had committed war crimes.

On Nov. 20, a half dozen veterans publicly reminded active duty military personnel that the U.S. Code of Military Justice directs our military personnel not to follow illegal orders. President Trump’s immediate response was to publicly state that these respected experts were traitors and should be hanged.

President Trump is the commander in chief of our military. His statement is a dramatic example of why it is necessary to be reminded of the obligation not to follow illegal orders. An order to hang these individuals for that reason would be blatantly illegal. They have done nothing wrong.

We do not live in Nazi Germany. We should not want to live in Nazi Germany. If a member of our military is given an illegal order, he or she should refuse to obey it. When the commander in chief (who is not a veteran) suggests a course of conduct that would be blatantly illegal, we should be very worried about whether our military leaders might issue illegal orders and whether their subordinates are willing to make the very difficult decision not to follow an illegal order.