It's Not Just a Country of Veterans

[Roger]

I'm unashamedly using this website forum as my soap box as not too long ago, I found myself in the thick of a pretty heated group discussion with some fellow veterans. This wasn't your average group banter; it was more direct, you know? And it wasn't on Facebook. Anyway, one of the vets dropped a comment that lit up the chat like a 5-alarm building fire. While a few nodded in agreement, a whole bunch of us were on the other side of the fence, including yours truly. I laid out my thoughts, giving my two cents on why I wasn't buying what they were selling, regarding their take on a pretty controversial subject. Well, faster than you can say "freedom of speech," I found myself booted out of the group. So, I figured, why not spill my thoughts here on my own turf, where the only way I'll get banned is if I ban myself (and that's not happening).

Here's the crux of it from my perspective: there's this widespread misinterpretation floating around about what signing up for the Armed Forces really means, especially regarding the Enlistment Oath. Heck, it seems even some vets are a bit foggy on it.

Rewinding a few decades, I took the oath, and then, thanks to some clerical snafu, I got to do it all over again in '92. That oath, the same one every service member swears by, no matter the branch, is pretty straightforward: our duty is to protect the U.S. Constitution. (the full oath and the first oath are the end of this article). Full stop. It's not about guarding the President, citizens, or even the soil under our feet—it's about safeguarding the principles, those big ideas of freedom and rights that the Constitution lays out.

Now, about that furor that got me kicked to the curb: the topic was the tangled web of politics, specifically the American populaces views on the Israeli/Palestinian and Russian/Ukrainian conflicts. Then this one vet chimes in with something along the lines of, "If they don't like it here, there's the door." And it escalates from there, with them suggesting that vets have a more significant say in these debates; more weight to throw around than civilians.

This didn't sit right with a lot of us. The assertion that our service somehow grants us more authority to speak on such matters rubbed me the wrong way. Sure, we've earned a platform, but to suggest it outshines that of our fellow citizens? That's a tough pill to swallow. I tried to keep my response as level-headed as possible, but it seems it might have come off more personal than intended.

Next thing I know, I'm on the outside looking in, banned from the group. But hey, that's why I've got this space—to lay it all out without fear of getting the boot. It's all about protecting what we believe in, right? And sometimes, that means having the tough conversations, even if they lead to being shown the digital door.

The present-day oath...

I, (name here), 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).


For completeness's sake, below is the first enlistment oath passed by the US Congress on 28 September 1789.

I (name here), do acknowledge the Thirteen United States of America, namely, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, to be free, independent, and sovereign states, and declare, that the people thereof owe no allegiance or obedience to George the third, king of Great Britain; and I renounce, refuse and abjure any allegiance or obedience to him; and I do swear that I will, to the utmost of my power, support, maintain, and defend the said United States against the said king, George the third, and his heirs and successors, and his and their abettors, assistants and adherents; and will serve the said United States in the office of _____, which I now hold, and in any other office which I may hereafter hold by their appointment, or under their authority, with fidelity and honour, and according to the best of my skill and understanding. So help me God.

Published here and elsewhere by my permission, the author.

[ChatGPT]

I'm unashamedly using this website forum as my soap box as not too long ago, I found myself in the thick of a pretty heated group discussion with some fellow veterans. This wasn't your average group banter; it was more direct, you know? And it wasn't on Facebook. Anyway, one of the vets dropped a comment that lit up the chat like a 5-alarm building fire. While a few nodded in agreement, a whole bunch of us were on the other side of the fence, including yours truly. I laid out my thoughts, giving my two cents on why I wasn't buying what they were selling, regarding their take on a pretty controversial subject. Well, faster than you can say "freedom of speech," I found myself booted out of the group. So, I figured, why not spill my thoughts here on my own turf, where the only way I'll get banned is if I ban myself (and that's not happening).

Here's the crux of it from my perspective: there's this widespread misinterpretation floating around about what signing up for the Armed Forces really means, especially regarding the Enlistment Oath. Heck, it seems even some vets are a bit foggy on it.

Rewinding a few decades, I took the oath, and then, thanks to some clerical snafu, I got to do it all over again in '92. That oath, the same one every service member swears by, no matter the branch, is pretty straightforward: our duty is to protect the U.S. Constitution. (the full oath and the first oath are the end of this article). Full stop. It's not about guarding the President, citizens, or even the soil under our feet—it's about safeguarding the principles, those big ideas of freedom and rights that the Constitution lays out.

Now, about that furor that got me kicked to the curb: the topic was the tangled web of politics, specifically the American populaces views on the Israeli/Palestinian and Russian/Ukrainian conflicts. Then this one vet chimes in with something along the lines of, "If they don't like it here, there's the door." And it escalates from there, with them suggesting that vets have a more significant say in these debates; more weight to throw around than civilians.

This didn't sit right with a lot of us. The assertion that our service somehow grants us more authority to speak on such matters rubbed me the wrong way. Sure, we've earned a platform, but to suggest it outshines that of our fellow citizens? That's a tough pill to swallow. I tried to keep my response as level-headed as possible, but it seems it might have come off more personal than intended.

Next thing I know, I'm on the outside looking in, banned from the group. But hey, that's why I've got this space—to lay it all out without fear of getting the boot. It's all about protecting what we believe in, right? And sometimes, that means having the tough conversations, even if they lead to being shown the digital door.

The present-day oath...
I, (name here), 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).


For completeness's sake, below is the first enlistment oath passed by the US Congress on 28 September 1789.
I (name here), do acknowledge the Thirteen United States of America, namely, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, to be free, independent, and sovereign states, and declare, that the people thereof owe no allegiance or obedience to George the third, king of Great Britain; and I renounce, refuse and abjure any allegiance or obedience to him; and I do swear that I will, to the utmost of my power, support, maintain, and defend the said United States against the said king, George the third, and his heirs and successors, and his and their abettors, assistants and adherents; and will serve the said United States in the office of _____, which I now hold, and in any other office which I may hereafter hold by their appointment, or under their authority, with fidelity and honour, and according to the best of my skill and understanding. So help me God.

Published here and elsewhere by my permission, the author.

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