The Military, What Does The Future Hold For Our Soldiers?

The Military, What Does The Future Hold For Our Soldiers:Â We’re always talking about today’s hottest topics and diving into those issues. One of those major issues involves our military and the policies that President Obama put in place and how President Trump has taken a very different approach. Special guest, General Jerry Boykin, is with us discussing this today. Tune in now to learn more!

Air Date:Â 01/31/2018

Guest: Gen. Jerry Boykin

On-air Personalities: David Barton, Rick Green, and Tim Barton

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Transcription note: Â As a courtesy for our listeners’ enjoyment, we are providing a transcription of this podcast. Transcription will be released shortly. However, as this is transcribed from a live talk show, words and sentence structure were not altered to fit grammatical, written norms in order to preserve the integrity of the actual dialogue between the speakers. Additionally, names may be misspelled or we might use an asterisk to indicate a missing word because of the difficulty in understanding the speaker at times. We apologize in advance.

Faith And The Culture

Rick:

You”ve found your way to the intersection of faith and the culture where we talk about today’s hottest topics on policy, faith, and the culture. It”s called WallBuilders Live and you can find out more about it on our website, WallBuildersLive.com.

That will have a list of all of our stations and tell you more about us as the hosts. Which include David Barton, America’s premier historian and our founder at WallBuilders. It includes Tim Barton, national speaker and pastor and president of WallBuilders. And then my name’s Rick Green, I’m a former Texas legislator.

So, visit that website, WallBuildersLive.com. You can also get archives of the program over the last few weeks. And also check out WallBuilders.com, our main website, where you can get a wealth of information – all kinds of great tools and information for your family. It will equip and inspire you to want to be a better citizen, to actually do your duty to make sure this freedom survives for another generation. Check all that out at WallBuilders.com and also at WallBuildersLive.com.

We’re always talking about today’s hottest topics and diving into those issues. One of those major issues involves our military and the policies that President Obama was putting in place. And now how President Trump has taken a very, very, different approach on that.

The Difference in the Military Between Administrations

Rick:

David, Tim, we’re going to have General Jerry Boykin joining us later in the program to talk about this, but let’s just talk a little bit about the difference. You guys have relatives that are serving in the military, how much of a difference do you feel under President Trump versus President Obama when it comes to the military?

David:

Rick, before I answer that, let me go back and just kind of review what’s happened in the last year.

Rick:

Yeah.

David:

The president came out and said, “Alright, we’re ending social engineering. I’m rolling back the transgender order.” Then he went a step further and then announced a ban on transgenders serving in the military. Now, that does not solve the 7,000 that are in, but it says no more coming in.

Then the Trump Pentagon says, “By the way, we’re no longer using the Southern Poverty Law Center as a reference group, and while we’re at it, we’re going to raise pay for military guys. First time in a long time – significant pay. And while we’re at it, we’re going to rebuild the military, so we’re putting now major funding back into rebuilding the military.”

I can tell you that morale has boosted. I speak at military bases, and posts, and forts, and etc., and it is through the roof.

He is now allowing the military guys to make decisions on strategy and tactics like how to fight ISIS, it”s not his call, it’s their call. He’ll pull the trigger on whether to do it or not, but he’s letting them come away with it. On top of that, the first military bill that came out under him has dramatically changed soldiers lives. He’s changed the rules of engagement.

Annihilation vs. Attrition

David:

You may remember that in 1988, Reagan in the Cold War he said, “Here’s my strategy on the Cold War – we win they lose.” That’s what he did with ISIS. We’ve moved from attrition to annihilation.

“Attrition” was the word used by Obama on how to treat ISIS. “Annihilation” is the word used by Trump and Madison on how to treat ISIS. It’s worked. Guys lives are being saved all over the Middle East as a result. ISIS is now gone from the Middle East.

We’re still pursuing them across the world. We intend to exterminate them. And by the way, have you noticed the absence in public media of any public ISIS execution over the last year? Or have you heard any talk about the caliphate? In one year it’s all gone.

Christians are now moving back into the Middle East instead of moving out of it. That’s one year.

In one year, look at the massive, massive, changes and the morale of the military is totally different. Matter of fact, I was with a bunch of NCOs recently and said, “Alright, things are different. How much of that do you attribute to Trump?” They said, “All of it.” I said, “Really?”

They said, “Yeah, he”s created a new tone, he’s created morale, he’s given us a pay raise, he’s untied our hands, he’s allowing us to do what we know how to do, all of it goes to what Trump’s done.” So, I see huge changes with Tim and I being a military family. He’s got two siblings serving in the military. It’s really big stuff.

Rick:

And that– you guys feel that not just as the member of the military, that’s got to mean a lot to you guys. That’s your son, that’s your son in law, that’s your nephew, your dad. All those people out there that are thinking about this, realize this affects your family not– You’ve got a member of the military in your family, a lot of military guys and gals are listening to this program, they love our show, this impacts your whole family. This is a very, very, positive thing.

David:

It does and I’ll speak first as a father. It does impact our family, but that’s not the reason I like it. I like it because it’s the right policy.

Rick:

True.

It Attracts Every Single Family Who is Connected to the Military

David:

It attracts every single person’s family who is connected to the military. It’s not just my family. I wouldn’t want it if it was just for my family and hurt Â everybody else. This is something that helps every single family in the military. And that’s from the father”s standpoint.

As a sibling, Tim’s got a viewpoint.

Tim:

Well, yeah, certainly a similar perspective, but the fact that when you can look at the rules of engagement, when the philosophy is not that we’re going to try to wear them out, but whether we’re gonna wipe them out, well, you feel a whole lot better about that. When you hear some of these stories of rules of engagement when military members are being shot at and they can’t return fire.

David:

And, guys, in our own family told us that. They were shot at and could not return– they could see who was shooting at them.

Tim:

Just unreal kind of stuff to where now, it’s certainly different in the sense of, “No, no, no, if we’ve identified it”s a bad guy, we’re going to take the bad guy out. And so it gives you a lot more confidence having family, having friends, in the military. Knowing that they’re not handcuffed, they can return fire, they can engage a bad guy, they can take out a bad guy, it’s a different scenario. And, dad, as you pointed out, it’s why we’re not hearing the same level of the brutality of ISIS, the same activity of ISIS. And it”s why even General Mattis has said we’ve about cleaned these guys out.

As you’re looking where their strongholds have been and they just–

David:

They”re not there.

Tim:

–they’ve lost all that ground because of the change and transition in policy in the way we interact with bad guys now in the military.

Let”s Talk About Standards

David:

One of the things we’ve observed, in a different subject, when we talk about standards for schools, and history standards, social studies standards. One of the things we’ve always pointed out is what stands out in standards is what’s wrong, not what’s absent. In other words, if we, in the standards, say Abraham Lincoln dropped a nuclear weapon on Thailand in World War 7, we would all say, “How stupid is that.” But if nothing at all is said about Abraham Lincoln anywhere in the standards, a lot of people will never notice that. It didn’t it was wrong, it just didn’t say anything.

So, to that regard, when”s the last time you heard the dictator of North Korea pop off like he was doing six months ago blustering up and showing how tough he was? Kind of a little squeaky dog now, you don’t hear anything. And when”s the last time you heard anything from the regime in Iran? They were really tough there in the first several months of Trump’s administration. They’re now completely silent.

This whole change in posture of the military has caused even enemies to pull their horns in, and keep their mouths shut, and keep low radar. They don’t want to be seen. They just don’t want to face what might happen. And that’s– nobody’s talking about those silences, but I see those silences as being really big victories.

Rick:

Hey, guys, we’re going to take a quick break and we come back, General Jerry Boykin is going to be with us. We’ve got a lot of new listeners since last time we had him on back in the fall. Let”s tell folks a little bit about Jerry. Y”all have worked with him closely, as have. We love this guy and you talk about a man’s man–

David:

Yeah.

An Original Delta Force Member

Rick:

–and a true military hero. He was an original Delta Force member.

David:

Well, he’s one of the Founders of Delta Force and he oversaw them for a number of years. Oversaw Special Ops, he’s a three star Lieutenant General, he went out of the military under the Obama administration because of his outspoken Christian faith which was not compatible for generals that Obama wanted in the administration. So, he was chased out of the–

And by the way, for people that don’t know, generals only serve at the president’s behest they do not get, they’re not like captains, or corporals, or anybody else. They only serve as long as the president wants them. And when he doesn’t want them anymore, he retires them. That’s the president does that to every general. They don’t stay there as long as they want, they stay there as long as he lets them.

So, Boykin was chased out under the Obama administration, but he is an uncompromising, unequivocal, patriot. He is a strong God guy, really strong Biblical guy, great books that he has out.

Rick:

Yeah.

David:

If you just google him, you’ll see him involved in some of the most significant military operations of the last 30 years, General Boykin’s right in the middle of them.

Rick:

Stay with us, folks. General Jerry Boykin, our special guest today here on WallBuilders Live.

Moment From American History

This is Tim Barton from WallBuilders with another moment from American history. After the final victory at Yorktown the Continental Army awaited the outcome of peace negotiations with Great Britain.

Pastor Israel Evans, a chaplain in the army, proposed to George Washington that they build a structure where church services can be held during the months of waiting. Washington approved the plan and urges officers to ensure that the soldiers attend that service.

Pastor Evans further knew if we were to secure the liberties they had fought for, sound education would be crucial.

He declared, “Every parent and every friend to the freedom of his country ought to be attentive to the improvement of our youth and the principles of freedom and good government. And then the people will stand fast in their liberty for a long time.” Our schools today need to return to teaching the principles of freedom and good government in order for America to survive and prosper. For more information about Pastor Israel Evans and other colonial Patriots go to WallBuilders.com

Special Guest – General Jerry Boykin

Rick:

Welcome back to WallBuilders Live. Thanks for staying with us. Our good friend, General Jerry Boykin, is with us. Always good to have you, General Boykin.

General Jerry Boykin:

Hey, I am so glad to be on the program with you.

Rick:

Hey, thanks for all the good work there at Family Research Council. You guys continue to impact the culture in such a positive way. We had had you on just about– man, it seems like it was about August, about halfway into Trump’s first year. And we were talking about just how long it would take for him to be able to get a lot of the generals replaced and get a new direction for the military.

So, we just wanted to see, going into 2018, how you think things are going, what you see as the future of the military as a guy that has been invested your life into it and served so well. We just wondered what you were thinking at this point?

General Jerry Boykin:

Yeah, look, I think that the things that Trump can do on his own, under his own authority, first of all, he has done much of it, but he is up against such stiff opposition. It is unbelievable that President Obama could sign an executive order saying that transgenders can serve in the military. And then when President Trump signs one that says, “No, they can’t serve in the military.”, you get four judges that come along and decide they’re in charge of the military. And they say that he can’t make that decision because it”s unconstitutional.

He Has Restored the Morale of Our Military

General Jerry Boykin:

So, he is up against a lot of opposition. But the thing that is most important is he has restored the morale of our military. Because he trusts them, He has let them fight to win, he has given the generals and the commanders on the ground the authority and rules of engagement that allow them to pursue the enemy and to win, and I think that is a very good start. There’s a long ways to go, but that’s a good start.

Rick:

How do you measure that in terms of morale of the military? Obviously from talking to friends and people that are still in and what you see, how do you communicate that to folks that, “Yes, there’s a different attitude out there right now.”

General Jerry Boykin:

Oh, I talk to moms and dads all over the country, in addition to talking to military people. I speak to military audiences a lot, but what’s really important is moms and dads. And when moms and dads are telling me, “Yeah, my son, my daughter, is really enjoying the military and they feel good about it. They are thinking about staying in and making it a career.” I know that that is a positive indication that the morale has picked up.

Rick:

That’s good. That’s good. So, what can people at home do in terms of– a lot of our listeners are active, they talk to state legislators, their congressmen, that sort of thing. When we look at the long term military changes that need to be made during Trump’s administration, what are some key points that we can encourage those in office and in power to be pushing for?

Going Back to the Constitution

General Jerry Boykin:

Number one, when a judge does what they did to our Commander in Chief and overrules him, which means that judge has taken control of our military, and usurped the authority of the president. As you know, Article 2 makes him the Commander in Chief.

Rick:

Yeah, there is nothing in Article 3 about the courts being in charge of our military, right?

General Jerry Boykin:

Nothing in Article 3 I just re-read it yesterday – both Article 2 and 3, and no kidding. So, it”s interesting you bring that up. But what they can do is they can start petitions, they can sign our petitions, they can sign your petitions if you have one out there. And they can start calling their representatives. Because there are people within the House and the Senate that understand the problem with this.

It”s not just a problem with forcing the military to accept transgenders, which are people that either self identify or have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Which means that there is going to be a period of time where they are not combat effective, they’re not ready to go or deploy because they’re going through either the therapy or the surgery. The people that are listening to this program can get on the phone, or get on the internet, and let their members of Congress know that they want this. They want the president’s agenda supported, particularly with regards to this issue.

And then, most importantly, in the– and you”re from Texas. Get ahold of Mac Thornberry in the House and let him know that you want this president’s policies and agendas with regard to the military supported. It does have a big impact.

Rick:

And he”s– is he chair of Armed Services now? Or is he–

General Jerry Boykin:

He is the chair of the House Armed Services Committee.

Rick:

Okay.

Most of the Success Right Now Will be in the House

General Jerry Boykin:

McCain is the chair of the House– of the Senate Armed Services Committee. But right now, most of the success on this issue it will be in the House.

Rick:

Alright, alright. Well, good call then. So, I encourage folks to call their congressman. And if the president is– I don’t know about you General, but I’ve been pleasantly is an understatement surprised at how strong he’s been on issues like this – transgenders in the military and so many other things that I didn’t think he would he would fight for.

And, man, he’s put it on the line. He’s said, “I don’t care how much you criticized me in the press and everything else. This is the right thing to do and it makes sense for military readiness.”

General Jerry Boykin:

And I think if you go back and look at the, what was it, 16 Republican candidates, it is a reasonable question to ask yourself – are there any of those candidates, other than Donald Trump, that would have made this same decision knowing the blowback that we’re going to get as a result of making a very bold decision. This is, other than moving the embassy, this is the boldest decision that the president has made because it took on the whole LGBT community.

Rick:

Yeah.

General Jerry Boykin:

And they are very powerful, very well-organized, and they can be very vicious.

Rick:

Well, take home messages – optimism for the future of the military right now. A lot of great things happening. Before I let you go, General, I’ve got to tell you, I’m right in the middle of The Warrior Soul, a book that you wrote with Stu Weber just a couple of years ago, and I am loving it. I know you all wrote it not just for military folks, even though it’s great for military folks, but even guys like me that didn’t serve, that feel like warriors in the culture war, it is so encouraging. I just want to thank you for getting with Stu and doing that. It’s a phenomenal book.

I really encourage people to go check it out.

The Warrior Soul

General Jerry Boykin:

Well, thank you for that. And The Warrior Soul was a book that he and I, over a period of several years of just sitting around the fire on a hunting trip, talked about all these things that we put in there.

And what it comes down to is this is a book not just for military people, as you said, but people that are engaged in the culture war today need to understand that they’ve got to have a transcendent cause. They”ve got to have a reason to go out there and stick their neck out everyday. They”ve got to have a reason to go out and stir things up. And that transcendent cause has to be, in my view, their country, their family, and their faith.

Rick:

Good stuff. Well, you’re blessed man. In fact, Stu Weber, his book, Tender Warrior, was– I gave that to all the men in my wedding 20 years ago, 20, what, 23 years ago in case my wife is listening I want to make sure I’m accurate there. Gave that book to all the guys in my wedding, had a huge impact on me, and when I saw your name with his I said, “That’s a book I”ve got to read.” And you guys just did a fantastic job on it. So, appreciate your work.

General Jerry Boykin:

Well, thank you very much, Rick, and thanks for what all you guys at WallBuilders are doing. It means so much and I absorb everything that you guys put out.

Rick:

Well, keep up the great work, brother. We’re glad to lock shields with you and be in this fight together and just blessed to have you on today. So, thanks for your time.

General Jerry Boykin:

Alright, thank you, brother. God bless you.

Rick:

That’s General Jerry Boykin. Stay with us. We’ll be right back with David and Tim Barton.

Bring A Speaker To Your Area

Tim:

Hey, this is Tim Barton with WallBuilders. Â And as you’ve had the opportunity to listen to WallBuilders Live, you’ve probably heard a wealth of information about our nation, about our spiritual heritage, about the religious liberties, and about all the things that make America exceptional.

And you might be thinking, “As incredible as this information is, I wish there was a way that I could get one of the WallBuilders guys to come to my area and share with my group.”

Whether it be a church, whether it be a Christian school, or public school, or some political event, or activity, if you’re interested in having a WallBuilders speaker come to your area, you can get on our website at www.WallBuilders.com and there’s a tab for scheduling. If you”ll click on that tab, you’ll notice there’s a list of information from speakers bio’s, to events that are already going on. And there’s a section where you can request an event, to bring this information about who we are, where we came from, our religious liberties, and freedoms. Go to the WallBuilders website and Bring a speaker to your area.

Rick:

Welcome back. Thanks for staying with us here on WallBuilders Live. Special thanks to General Jerry Boykin for coming on the program once again. And as I said to him– we’re back with David and Tim, now, by the way– As I said to him, guys, and, David, you mentioned this at the beginning of the program – his books are so encouraging. I get fired up when I’m reading his stuff.

It makes me want to engage more in the culture and know that I’m doing my part to make a difference. So, just love having him with us.

David:

There are three things that, in listening to him, I think we can definitely point to have changed. The philosophy of the military has changed, their practices have changed, and their funding has changed. Those are three big things in the military. But general also raised the thing of judges taking charge of the military and that’s something that Trump doesn’t have jurisdiction over. He will eventually as we get new judges appointed.

Who Gets to Make the Decision?

David:

But let me just, let me quote the Constitution. Here’s Article 1, Section 8, paragraph 14. It says, “The Congress shall have power to make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces.” Who gets to make the decision for that? “The Congress shall have the power.”

It’s not the courts. The courts are given no authority. As a matter of fact, Federalist 78, the founding fathers said that the judiciary has no power over the sword, which is the military, or the purse, which is funding. It says, “The judiciary has neither force nor will.”

They don’t get to make positive policy decisions. They”ve got to be silent. They have no authority over the sword, which is the military. So, he’s right – what’s happened with the judges getting involved in the military is one of the real problems we have to overcome.

Tim:

Well, and even to that point, when he’s acknowledging that what President Obama did, kind of unilaterally executive office saying that, “Hey, we’re going to do transgenders in the military.” And then President Trump says, “No, no, no, that can’t come from the executive. That’s got to come from Congress.” And so he says, “We’re not going to do that anymore.” And then these judges say, “Wait a second, it’s unconstitutional for you to rule on this.”

Well, if it’s unconstitutional for him rule against it, it was unconstitutional for President Obama to rule for it. And so not only are judges not supposed to get involved, but this isn’t the role of the executive office either for a president to step in and say what the military is or isn’t going to do. As far as behavior and structure, the president is not the one that gives the military their directive in that regard. And so the irony of the judge’s saying that it’s unconstitutional for President Trump to have an opinion on this, when they said nothing when President Obama had an opinion, again shows kind of the hypocrisy of the court. But also the idea that, in a relative sense, they’re right – President Trump doesn’t have the right to do this.

However, he’s undoing what President Obama did–

David:

Who did not have the right to do it.

Removing Unconstitutional Executive Orders

Tim:

Right. And so all President Trump is doing is saying, “Well, this is actually an unconstitutional executive order, so we’re removing it.” Which, he does have the authority to do that. You can, with an executive order, remove a different executive order.

Rick:

Yeah.

Tim:

So, he can do that constitutionally. But again, it just shows kind of how we’ve gotten in this convoluted mess and confusion. But certainly, as General Boykin pointed out, it’s such a different direction under a new administration.

Rick:

And isn”t it great to have a guy that when I ask him about Article 3, just read it yesterday? That was not a setup for our listeners. So, you know he had no idea that question was even going to come. So, it’s kind of like when we have Senator Birtwell on.

I mean, these are guys that they knew what they were defending when they were fighting for it and they still study the Constitution today. That was just cool.

Who Else Would be Willing to Withstand the Blowback?

David:

Yeah, it was cool. And I love the comment that Jerry made. He said, “Is there any other candidate, other than Trump, that would be willing to withstand the blowback?”

Rick:

Yeah.

David:

And he said the most blowback was on the Israel decision the second most blowback was oh no transgender in the military. And he’s made the two biggest, gutsiest, decisions with all the blowback that came with it. I think he might be right. I’m not sure of the other 23, 22, other candidates out there – there were 23 total in the primaries – I’m not sure how many of them would have even come close to making that decision.

Tim:

Yeah.

David:

And so Trump had. I love, too, how Jerry said, “What I really look for is when I talk to moms and dads. What did they say? What changes do they–?” He said the parents are really supportive. And that’s another good bellwether on how good the military is doing is, the parents of those in the military and what they’re seeing because they are concerned about their own sons and daughters.

And so that’s another good indication of good stuff.

Rick:

Hey, guys, got to take a quick break. We’ll be right back. Stay with us, folks. You”re listening to WallBuilders Live.

Biographical Sketches

Hi friends! This is Tim Barton of WallBuilders.This is a time when most Americans don’t know much about American history or even heroes of the faith. I know, oftentimes as parents, we”re trying to find good content for our kids to read.

If you remember back in the Bible, the Book of Hebrews it has the Faith Hall of Fame, where they outlined the leaders of faith that had gone before them. Well,, this is something that as Americans we really want to go back and outline some of these heroes not just of American history, but heroes of Christianity and our faith as well.

I wanted to let you know about some biographical sketches we have available on our website. One is called, “The Courageous Leaders Collection“ and this collection includes people like Abigail Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Francis Scott Key, George Washington Carver, Susanna Wesley, even the Wright brothers.

There’s a second collection called, “Heroes of History“ in this collection you read about people like Benjamin Franklin, Christopher Columbus, Daniel Boone, George Washington, Harriet Tubman, the list goes on and on.

This is a great collection for your young person to have and read. And it’s a providential view of American and Christian history. This is available at WallBuilders.com.

Rick:

We’re back. Thanks for staying with us. David, Tim, we had several action steps. We’ve only got about a minute or so left here. Let’s run through what he recommended we do.

Don”t Tolerate Judicial Activism

David:

I heard him say three things. First thing is, don’t tolerate judicial activism.

Rick:

That”s right.

David:

Speak up about it, speak out about it, quote the Constitution, get on your social media. Quote Article 1 that Congress is the one that decides policies for land and sea forces – not judges. Number two he said, sign petitions. They’ve got one at FRC, Family Research Council, get on there, sign that petition. The more, and more, and more, that sign, the more this becomes a real groundswell and that sends a message.

And the third thing he said, call Congress. Give them some support. A lot of these guys in Congress as he said, they already want to do something about this. They just need to note that the people have their back and so call them, call Mac Thornberry, the head of the Armed Services Committee, say, “Mack, you can’t let judges get away with this. Stand up for our military, stand up for the Constitution.”

So, those three things, don’t tolerate it, speak out yourself, sign the petitions. Call Congress, call the chairman of the committee, give them some support, give them some help.