Epic Quest progress report: Today is day 44. Total words: 14,762.

Yesterday, James Mattis, retired USMC general and President Trump’s former Secretary of Defense, published a short statement condemning the president’s behavior toward protesters in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. In his statement, Secretary Mattis makes clear, after years of unimpeachable professional silence, what he sees as the military’s role in this time, and what he thinks of this president’s persistently and deliberately divisive leadership.

It’s a refreshingly frank statement, a respected public figure speaking his truth in opposition to injustice. It’s unsurprising because personal courage has been this man’s bread and butter for half a century. And unexpected because it’s beyond rare for a military leader, even a former military leader, to speak openly against a sitting president.

Which makes two other letters that were also released in the last couple of days even more unexpected:

1. The current Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, sent a memorandum to the Department of Defense on Tuesday. Its middle paragraph reads as follows:

Department of Defense personnel have taken an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. I myself have taken it many times in my military and civilian careers, and believe strongly in it. As part of that oath, we commit to protecting the American people’s right to freedom of speech and to peaceful assembly. I, like you, am steadfast in my belief that Americans who are frustrated, angry, and seeking to be heard must be ensured that opportunity. And like you, I am committed to upholding the rule of law and protecting life and liberty, so that the violent actions of a few do not undermine the rights and freedoms of law-abiding citizens.

2. The current Secretary of the Army, Army Chief of Staff, and Sergeant Major of the Army released a joint statement that reads, in part:

Every Soldier and Department of the Army civilian swears an oath to support and defend the Constitution. That includes the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. We will continue to support and defend those rights, and we will continue to protect Americans….

These two letters are less blunt than Secretary Mattis’s, but they present a clear reminder to the country, and to the president, that the oath a servicemember takes is to the Constitution, and not to the president.

They are the closest I have ever seen active military leaders come to speaking against a sitting president.

I’m ashamed to say, after some of the rhetoric I’ve heard in recent years, I was beginning to doubt whether our military would have the fortitude to refuse an illegal order from this president. As far as I know, it hasn’t come to that yet, but for the record, I don’t doubt anymore. And that makes me proud. Proud, and hopeful for the future.

Because it means the dream of the USA–the dream of Washington, and Jefferson, and Lincoln, and the Roosevelts, and Eisenhower, and millions of others whose names we don’t know–is harder to break than many of us feared.