In 1979 at the young age of 17, I joined the U.S. Air Force.
At that time like most young people joining the military I did not pay a lot of
attention to the oath of enlistment; it was some words I had to say before I
started a grand adventure. During my career I swore the oath several more
times, specifically with each re-enlistment. Each time paying a little more
attention to what I was saying and I believed fully in the oath I was taking.
Now many years later and retired from the Air Force I once again take a look at
the oath I took so many years ago. This is an oath I have never un-taken, legally
I am no longer bound to this oath, but morally, I believe that unless I
willfully denounce it, I am still bound to it. But, in current political times I
am forced to examine and dissect this oath. First let’s have a read of the
oath.
"I, _____, do
solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of
the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear
true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the
President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over
me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help
me God."
In my opinion items in this oath are in order of importance
and what level the bind you to the oath. First I swore “to protect and defend
the constitution”. This is something I would still do today. That is followed
closely by “following the orders of the President and officers appointed over
me according to regulations and the UCMJ”. What this tells me is the
constitution comes first, before the officers and even before the President. Any
order which you may receive that is contrary to the Constitution of the U.S.,
or to a constitutional law, is illegal. Compliance with such an order is not
required; it is an illegal order. Lastly the final line “So help me God”. I
swore this oath to God and place myself at his mercy should I not follow it.
This is not the only oath I have taken in my life. After
retiring from the Air Force I took a position as a Federal Law Enforcement
Officer. My first day on the job, as most federal employees do, I took this oath:
"I (name), do solemnly swear (or
affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States
against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and
allegiance to
the same; that I take this obligation
freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will
well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to
enter. So help me God."
Look
familiar? It has the same lines about defending the constitution. The point of
this writing is to state that I live by the oaths I’ve sworn and will “support
and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign
and domestic”. This I will do till my last breath and implore all current and
former military members and federal employees to remember the oath you took “So
help you God”. I also especially implore all of our elected official to remember
the oath of office they took. Every one of these oaths has a statement, though
worded a little different, swearing them to protect and defend the constitution
of the United States.
I am an oathkeeper and I plan to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and demostic!
ReplyDeleteI served in the Army National Guard. I also feel that the oath still holds for me. I pray that they do not change the oath because I think it is perfect to have the constitution as the primary goal of the military.
ReplyDeleteSince elected officials swear a similar oath, I have to wonder, what is the penalty for violating that oath? Why is there no accountability. When a president, senator, congressman or supreme court judge supports or proposes unconstitutional executive orders, bills or laws, what should happen to them? What is the specific law on that? What are the prescribed penalties? Why doesn't that ever happen?
Patriot Act, NDAA, gun bans, bank and corporate bail-outs, and many other actions by this administration are all unconstitutional. It's not like this is anything new, really. This is just going one step further than previous administrations. Our corporate cronyism has been going on for decades and is unconstitutional.
These are just people. They are nothing more than that despite whatever office they hold. How do we hold them accountable?
The ballot box sounds nice as an answer, but it's a false sense of control. The Democratic and Republican party leaders are not elected officials. They have no term limits. They have no constituents. They are able to make whatever plans they want and are not under the control of the people. Their "endorsement" is required to be a viable candidate, however. In this way, they have hijacked the system. Independents/third party candidates are unlikely to get enough votes due to corporate media and propaganda. Therefore, any viable candidate has already sold their soul in agreement to go along with the party line. That is how they became a viable candidate in the first place.
I just worry that the people have already lost whatever power they once had. This is why I am especially apprehensive about gun bans. The second amendment is about the only real power we still have complete control of.
Thanks for your comments. It makes me feel good that people read my rantings. Very well put comment Sifu
ReplyDeleteI took the oath in the army in 1969 & it still has the same meaning today to me. I am a Patriot , Conservative , that believes 100% in the Constitution.
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