Expanded Perspective and Elite Disobedience: The Case of Air Force Major Michael William Devlin

This case study is an account of a decorated officer who in a collision of conscience versus duty, lost his military career after questioning orders regarding elite deviance by US Air Force officials. Michael Devlin, Jr., pilot and commanding officer of Operation Ranch Hand which undertook chemical...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe international journal of interdisciplinary civic and political studies Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 89 - 103
Main Author Martino Taylor, Lisa
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Kraków Common Ground Research Networks 2021
Subjects
Air force
Assimilation
Biological & chemical weapons
Careers
Case studies
Interdisciplinary aspects
Military personnel
Sanctions
Social norms
Social sciences
Values
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ISSN2327-0071
2327-2481
DOI10.18848/2327-0071/CGP/v16i01/89-103

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Summary:This case study is an account of a decorated officer who in a collision of conscience versus duty, lost his military career after questioning orders regarding elite deviance by US Air Force officials. Michael Devlin, Jr., pilot and commanding officer of Operation Ranch Hand which undertook chemical warfare in South Vietnam, was forced out of the US Air Force when he questioned orders to spray unidentified chemicals over a civilian-populated area in Texas, USA. This case supports the relational model in that role strain and competing social networks created justifications for disobedience and highlights how elite deviance can be disrupted through expanded perspectives.
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ISSN:2327-0071
2327-2481
DOI:10.18848/2327-0071/CGP/v16i01/89-103