Donald Trump is now the 47th President and Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces. Unlike during his first term, Trump now brings a defense secretary who understands that a significant portion of the fight for freedom is ideological. Former lieutenant colonels Matthew Lohmeier and Stuart Scheller are also returning to the Department of Defense as senior civilians, influencing strategic policy. These men, along with future Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, share the common experience of facing aggressive persecution for speaking out in defense of truth. It is a reversal whose time has at last come. I expect them, along with many others, to prosecute the case against ideological corruption in the ranks with prejudice.

For years now, I have had people from across the military reach out to me and say things like, “I want to speak up against the wrong around me, but I’m afraid.” That has been understandable to a certain extent. I also served in the military during the Obama and Biden administrations, and remember well that the environment demanded ideological compliance from military members. Those who held to traditional faith and constitutional understandings of government found themselves up against tacit and forceful persecution following the pattern of Soviet totalitarian practices that famed novelist, veteran, and political dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote about. The choice to be compliant or silent guarantees safety in the present, corporeal sense. To speak up and push back against lies, against doctrines that undermine the military’s most core purpose of carrying out a common defense of nation, comes with a price. Historically speaking, most humans want temporary acceptance and security over saving character and soul in the long run. Too many conservatives in the U.S. military in recent years have followed that shameful trend.

I know what it is to be excluded for taking a stand, and can confirm that it is not fun. Every service member of sound mind was shaken by the declaration from Biden’s defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, that the military is full of extremists who must be rooted out. This was especially jarring given that Biden’s definition of "extremism" included voting for Trump or being pro-life. The military capitulated and followed that line of logic in its so-called "extremism training."

The most stressful moments of my career were not those spent in the hostile, eastern region of Afghanistan. The worst moments were spent trying to respectfully appeal to a tyrannical, leftist lieutenant colonel I worked for in a three-star headquarters run by an openly woke general. Each day, I felt coerced into silence as falsehood littered the air around me. But I held a red line. When it was crossed, I took a stand. Those moments cost me dearly when it came to peace of mind and physical health. But I can look myself in the mirror. I kept my soul. That tyrannical and cowardly boss, on the other hand, will never cause another moment of frustration for another soldier.

To those still serving, you now have a paradigm worth envy. Your commander in chief detests the lies begat from what James Lindsay and Helen Pluckrose rightly refer to as the cynical theories. Trump returns to power with the majority vote and growing levels of public support for his agenda, which includes ridding the Department of Defense of wokeness, restoring meritocracy, and making the military a force that fights for freedom rather than leftist ideology. Senior generals are about to be reviewed. Several will soon be fired. Military officials who openly resist will be made examples of. The tide has turned. Conservatives in the military have not only the freedom, but the duty, to come out of hiding.

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The time to silently complain is past. It is now time to be part of the solution. To my colleagues still in uniform, I issue the call to live up to your oaths of office. You dare not recite creeds of warrior mentality again until you have begun to act like those words have meaning. You dare no longer complain again about the spiral of silence, and instead defeat it. You were pushed into compliance before. If you remain there now, it is of your own doing. Speak truth. Expose evil. Obey lawful orders. Resist and report unlawful ones. As Solzhenitsyn’s words still challenge, no longer let lies continue through you—whether actively or through inaction and avoidance. If your chain of command has any sense of self-preservation, they will no longer be a threat. As the saying goes, you now have top cover.

Evil men triumph only when enough good men are willing to do nothing. Too many of my conservative colleagues in the force did nothing as evil swept across the military they swore an oath to preserve from domestic enemies. Too many who retired or resigned did so quietly, aiming to preserve their ability to get government jobs. You now have a second chance to redeem your oaths, to reclaim your conscience, to be part of the fix that you have so far avoided in hope that someone else would carry weight that you wouldn’t.

It’s time to act like constitutionally-minded warriors, or own the scarlet cloth of cowardice. Most people never get another chance to stand when it matters. Take it now, reclaim your birthright as Americans, and you become a warrior worthy of the title.

Chase Spears served as a U.S. Army public affairs officer for 20 years, retiring as a Major (Promotable) in 2023. Chase holds a Ph.D. in leadership communication from Kansas State University, and today, he runs a leadership practice that helps people to turn brave ideas into action. You can find him on X/LinkedIn/Substack/YouTube @drchasespears.