BOOK REVIEW: Defending the Constitution Behind Enemy Lines

By Capt. Brent Ramsey, USN ret

Dear Shipmates, Friends, and Colleagues,

“Now Hear This!” is very familiar to all my shipmates. It signals an essential announcement to all hands about the life, safety, and functioning of a ship.  This book is an “All Hands” alert to every citizen about liberty, conscience, and the rule of law.

Commander Rob Green has written a book about his ordeal at the hands of Navy leadership that is both inspiring and disturbing.  A man of deep faith, Rob was shunned and abused by Navy leadership for holding fast to his Christian beliefs and his constitutional and legal rights as a service member and citizen.  Rather than submit to taking an experimental vaccination, he refused to be coerced into following an order that was at once illegal and against his religious conscience.

It is an account of Navy leadership blindly following higher authority’s mandate without understanding either the legal protections provided to service members by the Constitution and Religious Freedom Restoration Act or the true nature of the risk of COVID 19.  Our military is by far the single healthiest population cohort in our entire country and an overwhelming majority of military personnel were never at serious risk.

I highly recommend this book to you.  Fittingly, the book will be published on July 4, 2023, our Independence Day.  Please share information about this book with friends, family, organizations, and colleagues.  Please recommend your local library order this book.   Below is my detailed review of CDR Green’s courageous testimony.  I highly recommend that you read and share his book widely with everyone who values freedom.

Book Review of:

Defending the Constitution Behind Enemy Lines: A Story of Hope for Those Who Love Liberty
by Robert A. Green Jr. (US Navy Commander)
Pre-order; Available in print and ebook on 4 July 2023

The US military was and is famous for its victories in our nation’s many wars culminating in the spectacular triumph against Germany and Japan that ended World War II.

What began with the muddled mess that was Viet Nam and continued through the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, American military leadership, which used to be the world’s envy, has fallen into complete disarray and disrepute.

Most recent is the debacle of the pullout from Afghanistan with the ensuing deaths, mayhem, confusion, and loss of billions in equipment left behind.

While true that the pullout from Afghanistan was ordered by President Biden, no military leader owned up to the complete failure to plan adequately for the pullout.

No senior military leader was courageous enough to warn President Biden of the unmitigated disaster that would attend to the abrupt pullout.  No senior leader took responsibility for the ensuing mess.

The most senior leader to publicly document the gross failures of leadership was a USMC Lt Col whose reward for telling the truth was to get arrested.[1]

This kind of leadership is par for the course in our new woke military.

Our current military leadership meekly follows orders no matter how poorly conceived they are, no matter how nonsensical the orders are, whether they are legal, and no matter what the cost is to the lives, careers, or even to the health and safety of our dedicated military members.

Apparently gone forever are leaders in the mold of Mitchell, Rickover, Nimitz, Halsey, Burke, Patton, or MacArthur, leaders bold enough to assert military necessity over politics.

Navy Commander Robert A. Green Jr., the author of the new book, “Defending the Constitution Behind Enemy Lines,” reports in detail how U.S. military’s leaders enforced mandatory vaccination for the entire military for COVID-19.

Using an experimental vaccine that was authorized for emergency use only, these leaders illegally trod on the rights of citizens that were voluntarily serving the nation.

By law, the vaccine’s use by military members was completely optional for all hands.  This fact was largely hidden from the members themselves so most just submitted and got the shots.

Rob Green lays bare the entire sordid history in meticulous detail with references substantiating every assertion.

Early on in the pandemic, the Secretary of Defense decided to inject the entire US military with an essentially untested, experimental, never-before used, vaccine technology into the healthiest population of human beings on the planet, the members of the United States military.

The author documents that the military age group with its high levels of health and fitness were at extremely low risk from Covid, much lower than the risk even from suicide which is actually an unrecognized crisis in the military.

It has been well documented that deaths from Covid were extremely low, substantially lower even than the number of suicides committed by members of the military.[2]

Yet our senior military leaders intentionally ignored the fact that the threat of Covid to the military was minuscule compared just to the losses from suicide alone.

Millions of manhours were wasted on something that was a colossal waste of resources in order for the military to trample on the rights of its members.

The author documents in detail how military leaders covered up the nature of the vaccine and its status as an EUA product (Authorized by the FDA for experimental use only) which, by law, made it optional to take.

After interviewing hundreds of impacted service members, Rob Green also tells deeply moving stories from these very service members of how senior military leaders deliberately abused and harassed them in an effort to get these service members to accept an experimental vaccine at the risk of their own health and in violation of their beliefs.

This book details the severe mistreatment and abuse committed by chains of command against those in their charge for the simple act of filing a religious accommodation request.  Being locked out of one’s own office, being denied normal treatment and respect, even threats of unwanted medical treatment for refusal on bogus mental health grounds, were standard measures used to try to intimidate members with conscientious objections to taking the shots.

To compound the abuse of the illegal order, the military leadership invented out of whole cloth a fiction that religious accommodation waiver requests were being dutifully reviewed and considered individually on the merits of each request, when the exact opposite was in fact happening.

A standardized, structured, disapproval process was put in place from the beginning.  The author provides evidence that this was done knowingly, and to circumvent the law in support of a politicized agenda.

This evidence was the cornerstone of the first vaccine injunction ruling against the DoD in federal court. Yet even with this ruling, virtually every one of the thousands of religious waiver requests submitted were ultimately disapproved. A subterfuge was used to make it seem like the requests were being considered individually and on the merits of each request.

With laser focus on the dubious health benefits of vaccinating the entire healthy military, the senior leadership focused on a non-problem while ignoring the burgeoning readiness issue throughout the force, and ignoring the corrosive impact of woke politics, including mandating an unneeded vaccine, was having on retention, recruiting, morale, and readiness.

Meticulously researched, written in a clear and straightforward style, and candidly and completely documenting the many failures of his chain of command and the Navy process in detail, this account is a must read for any who value adherence to truth, fidelity to the Constitution and the rule of law, and bravery of the few who took on the monolithic military leadership behemoth who in lockstep attempted to force members of conscience into violating their sacred beliefs.

The sad fact about our supposed vaunted senior military leadership is their willingness to disregard truth.

Disregard of the truth that the military population was at extremely low risk from Covid.

Disregard for the religious rights of the members of the military.

Disregard for their obligation for fair treatment of service members who had done nothing wrong.  Disregard for the thousands of injuries documented for members taking the experimental vaccine.

This book is a must-read warning to the nation about our roots in the Constitution and founding principles and the ease with which those roots are ignored.

Service members who take up the cloth of their country do not lose fundamental rights.  Yet we now have military leaders who chose to violate and trample upon the rights of citizens who have chosen to serve in the military.

The author calls for a return to the fidelity, faithfulness to law, and upholding of the freedoms promised in our founding to all citizens even those serving in the military.

Rob Green deserves our gratitude for documenting this disgraceful episode in our military’s history which will go down in history as one of the most dishonorable episodes of poor judgment and poor leadership in the entire history of the United States military.

–
[1] Who is Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, the Marine jailed after blasting military leaders (taskandpurpose.com)

[2] As of Jan 2022, DoD reported that a total of 90 deaths of military members had been reported since the pandemic started.  Contrast that to the suicide numbers for just 2021 which was 519.  Five times the number of service members killed themselves in one year compared to less than 20% of that number who died total since Covid arrived in the US.

—
CAPT Brent Ramsey served in the Navy for 30 years and in Navy Civil Service as the Executive Director, CBC Gulfport for many years retiring in 2002.  Since retirement he has written extensively about Navy requirements, the rise of the People’s Republic of China, and the dangers of politicization of the military.  His work has been featured in American Thinker, National Defense, Real Clear Defense, Association of the United States Navy, United States Naval Institute Proceedings, CD Media, Armed Forces Press, and Patriot Post.

About the book author

US Navy Commander Robert A Green Jr. has become one of the Navy’s most vocal figures in the fight against the unlawful implementation of the military COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Banned from his building and fired from his position leading a 650-person unit, he is the author of numerous impactful internal Navy complaints, multiple whistleblower reports to Congress, and a key source of evidence for ongoing Federal Court cases related to the military vaccine mandate.

His previous Navy tours included duty as an operations research analyst, a missile defense officer, and a tester of future weapon systems in development. Robert completed postgraduate education programs at multiple academic institutions and has leveraged that education to help initiate data analytics efforts at several major commands.

He sees his obligation to support and defend the Constitution as second only to his obligation to Faith and family. He is married to the former Mary Clare Nehrbas of Steubenville, Ohio. They have seven children: Robbie, Leah, Blaise, Gemma, Patrick, Zelie, and Benedict.

Early Reviews

“Not enough has been written or said about the loss of trust and confidence military service members have today in their leadership. It is no wonder, since today’s military leaders have indoctrinated service members in the Marxist concepts of CRT/DEI and then followed up with a tyrannical, shortsighted, unneeded, harmful, and (most probably) unlawful vaccine mandate.

If you think service members must blindly follow orders, you are gravely mistaken. Commander Green articulately documents the reasons why courageous young men and women believed the mandate was illegal and why they had a moral obligation to stand up against the tyranny.

What certainly is not debatable is the way DOD implemented the order, which was clearly illegal given the laws surrounding the use of EUA products. I strongly urge Americans to read this book and encourage our elected leaders take action to right the many wrongs that have been committed against such incredible patriots!”
—Rod Bishop, Lt. General USAF (Ret.), chairman of the board, Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services (STARRS)

“At its core, this is a story about moral courage; the courage to do the right thing in the face of fire. This book illustrates toxic effects the cultural war waging in America has on our military, as traditional values and our constitutional republic are under assault from domestic threats. Political correctness within the military culture results in leaders at the highest levels issuing orders ethically wrong and likely illegal regarding the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine, as documented by Commander Robert Green. This is a story of failed leadership, causing distrust in our military.”
—Joe Arbuckle, Major General, US Army (Ret.), STARRS Vice Chairman

“Rob is bold and authentic, and has drawn aside the curtain for the American people allowing them to see and understand why so many military service members chose to refuse the orders of their senior military leaders during the COVID whirlwind and to stand instead for liberty. The work serves as a valuable boots-on-the-ground testimonial about the military’s misplaced priorities under the control of Joe Biden and Lloyd Austin, which is a leading cause of the military’s difficulty recruiting and retaining an all-volunteer force.”
—Matthew Lohmeier, former Space Force Lieutenant Colonel and author of Irresistible Revolution

“This story is not only one of a critical shortage of moral courage at the highest levels in the United States military, but also one highlighting what everyday Americans who have dedicated their very lives to defending liberty are capable of doing in its defense. Commander Green is taking great risk by publishing this book, and future Americans will see him as a hero, sacrificing everything he holds dear for us, even those who seek to punish him.

This book should be taught in every public school, every military basic training course, every military officer accession course, and have a place in every American family’s home library. It is truly a 21st-century handbook for the American patriot.”
—Rob Maness, Colonel USAF (Ret.)

“Commander Robert A. Green Jr. epitomizes the moral courage that should be possessed by all US military officers but is sorely lacking within the highest ranks of uniformed and civilian DoD leadership. His thorough documentation of the unlawful and immoral actions of the military establishment to coerce service members to submit to the experimental COVID ‘vaccines’ makes it clear that those enforcing the mandate have violated the Constitution they took an oath to protect.

Green’s book also makes clear that the DoD’s early focus on the COVID-19 virus quickly morphed into an obsession, both with the virus and the ‘vaccination status’ of service members. This obsession had more to do with political agendas than the health of the force, and the resulting devastation to military readiness will have national security implications for generations to come.

Despite having to fight a thoroughly politicized cadre of flag and general officers, a few good commanders like Commander Green and the leaders he highlights in the book, did everything they could to follow the law and protect the service members in their charge.

Those at the top, however, consistently ignored the warnings, the scientific data, and the law to ‘purge’ the critically thinking leaders within the military who were still defending the Constitution.

This book courageously shines the bright light of truth upon the tragic betrayal by leaders who abandoned their oaths to the Constitution. The public awareness that this book will bring is the first step in holding the perpetrators accountable.”
—Tommy Waller, president and CEO of the Center for Security Policy, Lt. Col. USMC (Ret.), and former CO, 3d Force Recon Company

“Getting off the bus in the pouring rain at 0300 in late winter 1983, I was greeted by the echoing shouts of my name emanating from the battle-hardened Vietnam veteran who became my basic training drill instructor. After revealing to me that his best friend, who shared my name, was killed in Vietnam, Sergeant First Class Jessie Canales, gave my 18-year-old self the first military leadership position I would hold; leading our basic training infantry platoon.

Since leading that platoon during the military rebuild after the decimation that followed the Vietnam War, through my time as a Green Beret, my service as a Special Forces Flight Surgeon, and even to this day, I have kept a “leadership book” that I use to take notes on the noteworthy leadership examples I have seen that I never want to forget. I used this book to study both leadership and the virtues required of warriors to succeed.

The truest virtue of a warrior and the greatest leadership trait are one and the same: Love. Love of God, Love of your brother in the foxhole, Love of Country, Love of Truth. It was this love that called me to be a whistleblower and stand for those who had no one to stand for them.

After I was revealed as a congressional whistleblower, other whistleblowers, including Commander Rob Green, have come forward to spearhead the fight for Love and Truth.

Like my drill sergeant in 1983, Commander Rob Green seeks to overcome the current decimation of our military, rectify the wrongs done, and ultimately return our military to the heights of readiness required for our national defense. Rob carries on his back the hopes and careers of service members looking for leaders who will defend their constitutional rights and rebuild trust with the American people.”
—Dr. Pete Chambers, Green Beret, flight surgeon, and Lt. Col. U.S. Army (Ret.)

“When I departed home, Atlanta, for my first duty station, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in October 1983, my Dad, US Army Corporal Herman West Sr., World War II Veteran, sent me off with a simple admonishment, and charge. He said to me, the first commissioned officer in the family, ‘Son, always take care of your men.’

This was a guiding principle for me in my twenty-two years of service, which included combat tours of duty. It did not mean coddling my soldiers, but training and preparing them with a sincere heart and always looking out for their well-being, and honoring my oath to the Constitution.

Sadly, during the episode of COVID, there were many uniformed leaders in our military who should have heard my Dad’s wise counsel.

In his book Defending the Constitution behind Enemy Lines, US Navy Commander Robert A. Green Jr. exemplifies the courage and commitment to our sailors, soldiers, airmen, and marines that is lacking in the senior ranks of our armed forces. The COVID shot mandate for our military was an illegal, immoral, unlawful, and unconstitutional order. It was deeply rooted in politics, to the detriment of our troops.

Commander Green puts it on the line in addressing this issue and the failure of military leadership that resulted in the lives of our men and women in uniform being adversely affected. There is no doubt that those who refer to themselves as senior military leaders will attempt to attack, demonize, and punish Commander Green, instead of admitting their wrongdoing in protecting our troops, and honoring their oath to the Constitution.

There is a reason why recruitment and retention in our military is at disturbing lows. Commander Robert Green gives a major reason why: the betrayal of our troops. This is a must-read, and let us lock shields and protect US Navy Commander Robert A. Green Jr. from acts of retribution.”
—Allen B. West Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (Ret.), Representative 112th US Congress; executive director, American Constitutional Rights Union

“Commander Green exemplifies true moral courage in writing Defending the Constitution Behind Enemy Lines. The illegal and immoral coercion to force the COVID-19 vaccination upon our service members was a direct violation of the law and our Constitution, the very one that those brave men and women volunteered their lives to protect, preserve, and defend.

Our brave service members had their rights stripped from them before having their right to serve stolen from them, not for merely refusing the vaccine, but because they were freethinkers who came to their own logical conclusions against an unlawful politically motivated vaccine mandate. Make no mistake about it, this was a blatant attempt to remove the freethinkers from military service and it is atrociously un-American.”
—Chad Robichaux, founder & CEO of Mighty Oaks Foundation, Force Recon Marine, and bestselling author of Saving Aziz

“To truly understand a conflict, it is always best to learn from those who survive after being completely immersed in the fight. Rob Green is one of those warrior leaders the nation can learn from as we look to right the ship of our republic. I highly recommend this read to fully understand what we are up against as a nation. This is truly a page-turner!”
—L. Todd Wood, USAFA ’86, founder CDMedia

“As the son of a Navy officer and a convert to Catholicism through the AMS (Archdiocese of Military Services), I applaud Commander Robert Green Jr. for his courage and fortitude in taking a stand against the tyrannical policies and fear-based coercion of the United States government regarding the COVID-19 vaccines. A military is only as strong as its leaders and this book exposes the many injustices that were done by government officials to those who serve our country.

Commander Green and all those in our military who resisted and were punished for not taking the experimental COVID vaccines are American heroes; it remains to be seen what the effects of the vaccines will have on our military personnel. This book is a testament to all true patriots who love God, country, and freedom!”
—Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, STL; Vicar Provincial – Marian Fathers; author of Consecration to St. Joseph 

“With the fight for traditional values and basic constitutional rights now at our doorsteps, Defending the Constitution behind Enemy Lines boldly steps into the culture war raging for the very heart of our nation. Not since before the founding of our nation have the American people endured such a long train of abuses and usurpations.

Commander Robert A. Green Jr. represents a new generation of courageous military leaders who are willing to risk everything to lean into the fight against a runaway federal government and a politicized military leadership. Every freedom loving, God-fearing American must join in the effort to push back the tide of tyranny. We must pray, we must vote, and we must stand for truth!”
—Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council and author of No Fear: Real Stories of a Courageous New Generation Standing for Truth

“Navy Commander Green expertly weaves historical analysis together with this incredible true story of a courageous fight for medical freedom.”
—Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

“Defending the Constitution behind Enemy Lines is compelling, enlightening, and energizing. After reading the book, you’ll have a deeper understanding of the issues at stake with the vaccine mandates. You’ll know more about the laws that govern our land and the forces that are taking away our freedom.”
—Mitzi Perdue, author, speaker, and anti-trafficking advocate

“If there was ever a book to be read back to front, this may be it. The good news in the concluding chapter of Commander Green’s powerful saga of truth speaking to power is that the persecution suffered by the US service members who refused to comply with the Medical Dictatorship paid off in the end—if not for them, then for every American who values liberty. After reading Defending the Constitution behind Enemy Lines, I have never been more eager to say to these few and proud and heroic men and women in uniform: ‘Thank you for your service!’”
—Michael J. Matt, The Remnant, editor

“In the face of silence and betrayal from Department of Defense leadership, Navy Commander Robert Green Jr. provides a riveting journey through DoD lies, deceptions, and violations of federal law. I know Rob personally from more than two years of his volunteer work with the Truth for Health Foundation. His courage, his deep faith, and his absolute commitment to his Oath to the US Constitution have given me hope that in the face of this evil assault on our core God-given freedoms, the American spirit and God’s Truth will ultimately prevail. Commander Green’s book is an inspiring and critical read for ALL Americans and people around the world.”
—Elizabeth Lee Vliet MD, president and CEO, Truth for Health Foundation; author of The COVID Vaccine Injury Treatment Guide: Your Roadmap to Recovery

“The media portrayed the service members that refused the COVID vaccine as insubordinate, possibly ignorant extremists. The truth is the exact opposite. They were individuals who knew exactly what obedience and duty meant, understood the risks and potential moral problems with the vaccines, and worked diligently within the constitutional order of our land. In short, they were the exact kind of men and women you want fighting for your country. Rob Green calls them the ‘silent minority.’ This book breaks that silence with courage and clarity.”
—Jason M. Craig, executive director of Fraternus and editor of Sword&Spade magazine

“Defending the Constitution behind Enemy Lines chronicles one of history’s most inconspicuous fights against tyranny. It’s a fight represented by the brave members of our nation’s military who stood firmly against an unlawful military vaccine mandate. Some lost. Some won. But more than that, many of the country’s enemies have been exposed. Be compelled to rise up against those who destroy liberty with this must-read book for the ages.”
—J. M. “Liberty Cannon” Phelps, freelance journalist