Making and upholding an oath is serious business.
If there is anything those of any faith (or none) or any political persuasion (or none) you’d think it would be a principle as basic as it should be involuble; any one of us is only as good as our word.
When we make a public (and voluntary) oath, it is presumed that we do so fully informed and dedicated to the cause or entity that we pledge our faith and full energies to.
An oath is a very specific claim — the needs and identity of the organization will, and must prevail, over how the one making the oath might either perceive the situation or prefer to act.
An oath is the convergence of the individual and the larger body — a body that might, and almost certainly will, have claims, obligations and priorities different from, maybe even in conflict with the individual.
A few professions and civic organizations require oaths. From local police departments to The Elks Club, taking an oath is a proclamation of identity and belonging. An oath, by definition, sets those people apart. There are specific claims and obligations for those who take a public oath.
And, as there should be, there are serious repercussions for those who violate those oaths.
Here are the oaths military personnel take:
Enlisted Oath (to POTUS (President Of The United States) & Constitution)
“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.”
(Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).
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Officer Oath (to Constitution only)
“I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God.”
(DA Form 71, 1 August 1959, for officers.)
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Notice the difference; enlisted service members swear allegiance to POTUS and the Constitution.
Officers do not swear allegiance to POTUS — as a safeguard against a usurper commander-in-chief. They swear allegiance only to the Constitution.
Even our president takes an oath — to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States”.
Presidential Oath of Office
I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Just as making and upholding an oath is serious business, violating and abandoning one’s oath could be considered even more serious.
An oath, by definition, is voluntary. Violating and abandoning one’s oath is also a deliberate act.
An abandonment of an oath, under normal circumstances, would mean a forfeiture of any claims, benefits or obligations that were implicit in the original oath.
Those who abandon an oath, again by definition, are violating the terms of the agreement.
Those military service members, for example, who plan, support, advocate or actively engage in insurrection against their own government, should, by any basic interpretation of the law, lose all related military benefits, services and pensions.
