I fought for the Constitution. Using Marines against protests disgraces it.

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I am a Marine combat veteran. I wore the uniform with pride. Not for glory or politics, but to serve something greater than myself: the Constitution of the United States. I saw war up close. I lost brothers. I lived with the weight of what it means to take a life in the name of liberty.
But I never imagined I'd live to see the same Marine Corps deployed on American soil — not to protect life or respond to disaster, but to stand guard against the very people we swore to protect.
That is not leadership. That is not patriotism. That is cowardice.
And it's a disgrace.
Let me be clear: the U.S. military is not a private security force for any president or politician. Our loyalty is not to the office of power, but to the American people and the Constitution we swore to defend. That oath doesn't end when we hang up our uniform. It lives on, and it binds us to speak out when power is abused — even when it's our own. Especially when it's our own.
Throughout our history, the military has been a symbol of honor and restraint. We've always drawn a sacred line: we do not turn our force inward against civilians. To cross that line is not only a constitutional crisis — it's a moral collapse.
But now, we see uniformed Marines stationed around government buildings — not to serve, but to suppress. We see military force used to intimidate protesters, stifle dissent, and project strength where there should be humility. We see our brothers and sisters in arms being told, directly or indirectly, that their duty is to silence fellow Americans.
That's not defense. That's not order. That's not justice. That is repression.
Some Americans cheer this on. They call it 'law and order,' as if safety is more valuable than freedom. But order without justice is not peace — it is submission. Security without liberty is not safety — it is fear. We don't salute uniforms because they exist — we salute the principles they're supposed to uphold.
The founders of this country understood the danger of turning soldiers into political tools. That's why we have the Posse Comitatus Act. That's why our system separates civilian and military power. Because when the military becomes a weapon of domestic politics, democracy dies with a boot on its neck.
To the commandant of the Marine Corps: you are failing your Marines. Allowing this misuse of the Corps is not a neutral act. It's complicity. You dishonor the memory of those who died believing we were fighting for something nobler.
I say this not out of bitterness, but out of love for what the Corps meant to me — what it's supposed to mean to all of us.
To every American: this moment is not just about troops on streets. It's about the soul of our republic. It's about whether we still believe that power must answer to the people, not the other way around.
Because if we stay silent now, if we normalize this erosion of liberty, we will wake up in a country where democracy exists in name only, guarded by soldiers who forgot what they were fighting for.
I fought for the Constitution. I still would. But I will never stand by while it's trampled by the very institution I once called family.
We are better than this. And if we still believe in America, we must demand better — before it's too late.
Robert Rolls
Highland Park
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: LA ICE protests don't need US Marines. It's a disgrace | Opinion