.
Generals and Admirals, Stay Out of Presidential Politics
By Vice Admiral Doug Crowder, U.S. Navy (Retired)
October 2019
“It is always dangerous for soldiers, sailors or airmen to play at politics. They enter a sphere in which values are quite different from those to which they have hitherto been accustomedâ€
-Winston Churchill
In November 2015, I wrote a Proceedings commentary titled, “Admirals (and Generals) For Life,†in which I implored my fellow retired flag and general officers to avoid public endorsements of presidential candidates in the 2016 campaign. Why? Because when introduced as an admiral or general while making a political endorsement, a retired military officer can easily give the American public the impression its military leaders are part of the partisan political process.
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2019/october/generals-and-admirals-stay-out-presidential-politics
