Admiral James A. Lyons (Retired) served as the commander of the US Navy’s Pacific fleet when he retired in 1987.  Since then, he has frequently spoken on the military and foreign policy issues, mincing few words when he has done so.  He is an associate in the production of Sharia: The Threat to America, which includes James Woolsey and LtGen (Ret) Jerry Boykin among its contributors.

Most recently, Adm Lyons took President Obama to task for forcing the US military to submit to Islam:

The recent contrived uproar over the inadvertent burning of the Koran…should be seen for what it is: a power-play tactic to make our military forces more submissive to the dictates of Islam, a concept they call “dhimmitude.”

President Obama’s groveling apology to Mr. Karzai and the Afghan people only further inflamed this unfortunate situation.

Adm Lyons accurately conveys the criticisms of those who have complained that the profuse apologizing has had the effect of making the US — its leadership and military in particular — appear to be “giving in” to the “sacredness of an inanimate book.”  In other words, it gives the appearance the US not onlly venerates the objects of Islam, but concedes to the mob mentality of the Afghan response.  (Notably, it had a much different response to the intentional burning of the Christian Bible.)

Finally, Adm Lyons notes an interesting perspective missed by most outside observers:  What of the soldiers involved, who were trying to carry out the orders of their commanders in good faith?  The religious leaders of Afghanistan, the Afghan mobs, the United Nations, and Michael Weinstein have all demanded the soldiers be put on trial, and US leaders have refused to dismiss those demands. 

Furthermore, military forces whom we send in harm’s way must have the confidence that when they carry out their leaders’ orders in good faith, they will have the backing of not only their immediate superiors but their commander in chief as well. That is not clear now.

The personnel involved in the Koran burning should be returned to the United States if that has not been done already. No disciplinary action should be taken to pacify the likes of Mr. Karzai and his controlling mullahs. We Americans stand behind our military men and women who are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom.

By all appearances, there is no plan to try US troops — but it seems the US is willing to let the Afghans continue to think the possibility exists.