I won't sit on the sidelines

This moment calls for leaders to take a stand

I’ve served in the Illinois Army National Guard for nearly thirteen years, including over five years on active duty as a combat medic and medical planner. I deployed to Afghanistan from 2019 to 2020 and served for nearly three years in US Army Europe and Africa, where I supported Ukraine and NATO.

Many of you might know me for speaking out against the fascist actions of our current administration. I’ve continually used my voice and platform to educate the public and speak out against President Donald Trump’s threats to the American people, and I will continue to do so, because it is the right thing to do.

As I told Jen Psaki on MSNBC, I will not be activated against the American people. I will not go against my community. I raised my right hand to protect the American people and defend the US Constitution, and that is what I am prepared to do.

The day I decided to speak out

I originally enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard as a combat medic in December 2012, after six months of working two jobs to pay off the student loan debt incurred from my freshman year of college.

I joined the military so I could afford to pursue my undergraduate degree - something I had dreamt of since I was a child. I decided to become an officer, however, because I enjoyed the public service aspects of being a leader in the military.

I began running for United States Congress in Illinois’ 13th District on April 21, and I steadily built a following on social media. I believe all leaders, especially those with large platforms, possess a duty to speak out against attacks on our civil rights, our human rights, and democracy itself, which led me to create multiple videos condemning President Trump’s authoritarian actions.

I released a video late in the evening of August 22 on social media, following President Trump’s continued threats on the city of Chicago. I said the President used a false crime narrative to deploy the National Guard to the streets of Washington D.C, because crime in D.C. was at a 30-year low.

I then mentioned that the Secretary of Defense (now War), Pete Hegseth, authorized the Soldiers to carry weapons, which was intended to send a message to the American people. I said the President threatened Chicago and that this was not about crime - it was a power grab.

I then made a series of general statements, including how every military member is legally obligated (under Article 92 of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice) to disobey unlawful orders. I described what constitutes an unlawful order and said “just following orders” is not a legal defense for war crimes.

I asked all military members who might be activated in the coming weeks or months in US cities to remember their oath to the US Constitution and to the American people.

In response, the US military counseled me for a social media violation, while twisting my words. “In other words, as a Captain in the Illinois National Guard, you have openly suggested that members of the National Guard across the United States of America who obey Federalization orders issued by President Trump would be committing a crime and subject to prosecution.”

They also said my video could “lead Guardsmen to disobey lawful orders, leading to their discipline and are prejudicial to good order and discipline in the Illinois Army National Guard.”

In fact, I did not state that federalization orders themselves are unlawful or illegal. Instead, I simply reminded Soldiers of their duty to disobey any future unlawful orders from this administration.

Threats on Portland and a second video

On the morning of September 27, President Trump threatened to send the military into Portland and authorized “full force,” which is not a military doctrinal term. He likely used this term to strike fear in his perceived enemies.

After experiencing a surge of anger at the thought of the government using the US military against American citizens, I made a second video. This, time, I addressed it to all members of the military, including the Generals and Admirals who were due to meet with Secretary Hegseth on September 30.

I stated that President Trump’s threats on Portland were an act of authoritarianism and fascism and that the US military is not a law enforcement force. I also said federalized service members must abide by the Posse Comitatus Act and disobey any future unlawful orders. I then implied that not standing up to this fascist takeover will eventually make service members complicit.

In response to this second viral video, the government suspended my security clearance. Again, they twisted my words and said I told service members to disobey a specific order from POTUS to deploy to Portland.

The document read: “DCSA AVS requests that you provide all details of your incident on or around September 28, 2025, you posted a video in violation of DODI5400.17, Section 8 Para (a) (1) & (2) on social media using their rank and name to encourage all US Military service members to disobey what they deemed as an unlawful order from the POTUS to deploy AARNG to Portland Oregon.”

When I made these videos, I used my rank as a way to convey that I was a service member talking to my peers across the US armed forces, as I asked them to disobey potential future unlawful orders. At no time in these videos did I ever tell service members to not deploy to Portland or any other American city, because I am not legally able to rule whether those orders are, in fact, unlawful.

This is fascism, plain and simple.

SSG Demi Palecek and I both told CBS News that we would refuse a direct order to deploy to Chicago. “Absolutely. I would definitely say no,” she said. “I’m not going to go against my community members, my family and my culture. I believe this is the time to be on the right side of history.”

“Look at 1930s, 1940s Germany,” I said. “There is a point where if you didn’t stand up to the Gestapo, are you just actively one of them now?”

A week and a half ago, a federal judge delayed the deployment of the National Guard in Chicago indefinitely, until a final ruling is issued or the Supreme Court rules on the matter.

Demi and I both acknowledge that we did not raise our right hands to be used as pawns and activated against our communities. A federal court ruled that the National Guard deployment to Los Angeles in June violated the Posse Comitatus Act, so I feel comfortable disobeying a similar unlawful order to deploy to Chicago.

Many service members on active duty and in the National Guard have reached out to me privately to discuss their concerns with the increasing militarization of American cities. Trump’s use of ICE as an American Gestapo and the National Guard as his personal police force makes most Soldiers uncomfortable, even if they’re too afraid to say it.

Most National Guard units train to fight and win our nation’s wars. Only a few units are trained in law enforcement or crowd control, and none of them are trained to assist with ICE’s violent assaults on our communities.

Retribution will come, even more than it already has, for speaking out against the fascist regime in office. However, silence is not an option. I was trained to stand up for what I believe in and stand up for the American people, and I will continue to do so.

Trump is slowly normalizing the use of the US military in American cities, and we must stand up against this authoritarianism. Today, it’s Chicago and Portland. Tomorrow, it could be somewhere else.

We need to combat the constant onslaught of misinformation and stand up to Donald Trump. Crime is down. This is not about safety — it’s about control.

Like I’ve said before, fascism is here. How long it lasts depends on how we respond from here.

It’s time to take a stand.

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Thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not represent the positions of the Department of War, the United States Army, or the Illinois Army National Guard.