Stewart Rhodes – Oath Keepers Exclusive 3-18-10

OATH KEEPERS EXCLUSIVE

SSG Joshua L May and Stewart Rhodes

Author: Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers

Date: May 18, 2010

We know that wholesale gun confiscation happened during Hurricane Katrina. We watched
the Chief of Police of New Orleans declare on national television that “no one [no private
citizen] will be able to be armed, we’re going to take all the weapons.” We watched an old lady
being tackled in her own kitchen and disarmed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zztaj2AFiy8

In fact, that atrocious event was one of the reasons I started Oath Keepers. But I also knew,
from my service as an Army paratrooper, that there are men and women of courage, honor,
and integrity in the military who would refuse to obey such orders. My goal with Oath
Keepers is simply to increase their numbers and harden their resolve. But when it came to
Katrina, we did not have concrete proof that some said no – until now.

A Stand-Up Example from Katrina Emerges

This past week, on Friday May 14, 2010, I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Staff
Sergeant (SSG) Joshua L. May of the Utah National Guard who told me how he, along
with the other men in his military intelligence unit, refused to participate in any gun
confiscation while deployed to assist during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

I finally discovered SSG May and his story only because after a speech I gave in Logan Utah
on May 13, 2010, a local resident, Farley Anderson, walked up and told me about what SSG
May had done. Upon hearing of it, I knew I just had to talk to him, so I had Mr. Anderson
track down SSG May’s number and I called him at 11pm and invited him to breakfast the next

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morning. Until that night, SSG May hadn’t even heard of Oath Keepers (which is ironic since
he is a shining example of an oath keeper). We met for the first time that next morning,
Friday, May 14, 2010. During breakfast, SSG May told me his story, and then I asked him if
we could go outside and do a video interview in the restaurant parking lot. He agreed that his
story needed to be told and the below video is the result.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HRZfvtYlCY

This is the first of five parts to that interview we have now posted on YouTube. This first ten
minute segment contains SSG May’s main statement of how, while deployed to assist during
Hurricane Katrina, he, along with the majority of the men in his unit, informed their
commander that they would not under any circumstances participate in gun confiscation.

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygeNzf__Gic
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDryH9FKS0M
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6aIcCJQ0eY
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_UvHalYKHM

But I urge you to watch the other four parts which contain further details of SSG May’s
experience in New Orleans, how he and his unit interacted with armed citizens who were
simply defending their property (including a great story of his encounter with a former
paratrooper bar owner who let it be known that NO ONE, not the President himself, was
getting his guns), more details on how the chain of command reacted to the unit’s refusal,
what SSG May thinks of the use of active duty Army during Katrina, about his experiences in
Iraq and how they reinforced his commitment to enforcing the Second Amendment, and what
he thinks about his oath and the Constitution. SSG May is indeed a shining example of what it
means to honor the oath, and it is important to know that he was not alone then, and is not
alone today. There are many, many other “SSG May’s” out there. The mission of Oath Keepers
is simply to increase their numbers and improve their understanding of the Constitution.

Tipping the Scales on the Side of the Constitution and the Rights of the People

As I have said from the day I founded Oath Keepers, we know that some will "just follow
orders." That is clear from the sad history of the human race, and that is also clear from our
own history. The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II shows that reality.
And in the modern context, the result of LCDR Guy Cunningham’s 1994 Twentynine Palms
Combat Arms Survey provided additional sobering evidence, since 26.2% of the Marines
polled answered either "agree" or "strongly agree" when asked in the infamous Question 46 if
they would fire on American citizens who resisted attempts at gun confiscation. And as
already noted, what happened during Katrina shows that some will actually follow even such
a clearly unlawful, unconstitutional order. And that is why I started this organization – to do
my utmost to keep it from happening again. (See the Combat Arms Survey here:
http://oath-keepers.blogspot.com/2009/04/lcdr-ret-ernest-g-cunningham-and-famous.html)

However, I also know beyond a doubt that there are men and women of honor, deep courage,
and true devotion to the Constitution in service who would refuse to obey such orders. I know
this because I served with some of them. The men I served with in the Airborne infantry
would have been as willing to forfeit their lives or liberty by refusing such orders as they were
willing to give their lives in combat.

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And I know that there are still, to this day, many people of such honor, courage, and devotion
in the military. The number of Bronze and Silver stars, and even Congressional Medals of
Honor, being awarded today are a testament to the fact that this nation still has many young
lions (and lionesses) of great courage in service.

Army Spc. Monica Brown, Medic with 82nd Airborne. Awarded Silver Star for courage under
fire during ambush in Afghanistan. She saved the lives of wounded soldiers by treating them
while under enemy gunfire, by dragging them to safety under enemy fire, and by shielding
them with her own body during a mortar attack. They have the courage. They just need the
knowledge.

Enough of them have the courage to do what is right if they know what is right. The only
question I have is whether enough of them have the necessary knowledge of the Constitution
and of their obligations under the oath to stop another Katrina or worse from happening.
Courage without knowledge is insufficient. A brave man or woman without knowledge and
understanding of the Constitution can be tricked into becoming a tool of oppression over
fellow Americans. Knowledge without courage and integrity is also insufficient (which is why
I don’t waste my time with most lawyers and politicians – they have amply demonstrated

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their lack of either). It takes both courage and knowledge. When a person, such as SSG May,
has both, watch out! That one person can and will make a difference far beyond what the
cynical conventional wisdom would have you believe is possible, just as SSG May did. He
proves the cynics, who contend that all in the military will always just follow orders, wrong.

I have long said that it is simply a reflection of human nature that in an average military unit,
at any time in history, there will likely be some who will just follow orders (sometimes with
bloodthirsty gusto), and there will be some who will not follow unlawful orders under any
circumstances (provided they understand the orders are unlawful), and then there will be
those in the middle who'll just go whichever way the wind blows. Again, the results of LCDR
Cunningham's survey reflect this. 26.2% said they would fire on fellow Americans. But 12.0
percent said they "had no opinion" about that question (how could someone have no opinion
about such a question?). The good news is that 42.3 percent answered that they "strongly
disagreed" and 19.3 percent "disagreed." So, there was a strong split in opinions, with those
disagreeing in the majority.

The whole point of Oath Keepers, its prime mission, is to increase the number of service
members who are awake, knowledgeable about the Constitution, and committed to saying
"hell no!" and thus tip the scales on the side of those who have both the courage and
knowledge to not go along. Those who blow with the wind will then side with right, and any
possible psychopaths and blind followers will be significantly outnumbered and will be
suppressed.

And it bears repeating that a man in the ranks like SSG May, a man who has been awakened
to the awesome responsibility of his oath and who has become a student of the Constitution,
can tip the scales on the side of justice and the Constitution in ways that mere numbers can
never quantify. Such a man is a moral and morale force multiplier. SSG May’s story bears
this out. He became a teacher and an inspiration to others, and he was the solid rock of
resolve that they gathered round and drew strength from when taking their stand. Yes, the
majority were in agreement with him (and I’ll bet he certainly helped them see the light) but I
think it was his unshakable resolve that helped the others actually take a firm stand. Perhaps
if he had not been there, another would have sounded off loudly that the gun confiscation was
flat wrong and that he would not do it. Perhaps another would have stepped up to be the
spokesman for the others to go tell the commander they would refuse if given that order. But
perhaps not. Regardless, one man can make a difference and there can be no doubt that SSG
May’s presence helped tip the scales on the side of refusing to obey any orders to confiscate
guns. And he made it into a preemptive refusal. He did not wait until the orders were actually
given. With him leading the way, the men made it clear in advance that they would not
comply.

SSG May, way back in 2005, was a stellar oath keeper long before Oath Keepers the
organization even existed. The oath – and the obligation that goes with it - is as old as the
Constitution itself. We here at Oath Keepers certainly did not invent it. The Founders
invented it. And they put that requirement right in the Constitution, in Article VI. We at Oath
Keepers merely do our small part in honoring the oath by doing our best, to the utmost extent
of our powers (as the motto of my Airborne unit put it) to make sure there are more SSG
Mays out there. Just as SSG May was awakened by another National Guardsman who made
him realize he did not have a sufficient understanding of the Constitution to adequately keep
his oath, we strive to wake up as many current serving as we can to the fundamental necessity

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of understanding and studying the Constitution if they are to keep their oath to defend it. You
can’t defend it if you don’t know it. I firmly believe that it is possible to reach, teach, and
inspire enough of the current serving to provide a tipping point on the side of the Constitution
and on the side of the rights of the people when future unconstitutional orders come down the
chain of command. We can do it.

And now we have SSG May’s stellar real world example from Katrina itself to show the way
for others. In honor of SSG May’s stand, I am nominating him for the Oath Keepers 2010
Current Serving Military of the Year award, and I am nominating his unit for a counterpart
award for Unit of the Year for their stand during Katrina. I can’t imagine a better example
coming to light between now and our national Oath Keepers Conference in October, so I look
forward to presenting both those awards.

We hear so much bad news nearly every day that it is wonderful to have such a great piece of
good news. So, take heart, and remember, with each and every current serving military,
police, or emergency personnel you talk to, with each brochure, pocket Constitution, or copy
of The 5000 Year Leap handed out, you never know what effect you have, like ripples in a
pond going out from one cast pebble. Your one act of outreach, teaching, or inspiration could
reach far into the future to a crucial moment in history, into the hearts and minds of key men
and women who may just be in place to take a pivotal and historic stand. Now go out and
make more SSG Mays!

For the Republic,

Stewart Rhodes
Founder of Oath Keepers

P.S. Seeing as how this story was unknown to the public and untold until I happened to
meet SSG May, there well may be other individuals or units, either military or police, who
likewise refused to take part in any gun confiscation during Katrina. Please ask around
through your contacts, and keep a sharp eye and ear out for any more such accounts. And if
you were there, and know of other examples, it is time to speak up and let it be known.

About Stewart Rhodes

Stewart Rhodes is the founder and Director of Oath Keepers. He served as a U.S. Army paratrooper
until disabled in a rough terrain parachuting accident during a night jump.

He is a former firearms instructor and former member of Rep. Ron Paul's DC staff.

Stewart graduated from Yale Law School in 2004, where his paper "Solving the Puzzle of Enemy
Combatant Status" won Yale’s Miller prize for best paper on the Bill of Rights. He assisted teaching
U.S. military history at Yale, was a Yale Research Scholar, and is writing a book on the dangers of
applying the laws of war to the American people.

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He is a staff attorney with Jefferson Legal Foundation and has assisted in constitutional litigation in
state and federal courts.

Stewart currently writes the monthly Enemy at the Gates column for S.W.A.T. Magazine, and has
written for The Warrior, the journal of Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyer’s College; for
www.moreliberty.org; and for JPFO.

Stewart has appeared on several radio shows, was invited to speak at Stanford University on unlawful
enemy combatant status, and teaches classes on the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Oath Keepers web site is here: http://oathkeepers.org/oath/

Stewart welcomes e-mail at stewart.Rhodes@aya.yale.edu

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