Here are pictures of soldiers reenlisting in the U.S. The re-swearing of the Oath of Enlistment is ubiquitously depicted in culture, from actual depictions of the military to fictional ones. If there was no mechanism for its removal then all that would be required is to swear it at the time of your enlistment (or commission) and it would be good for the remainder of your earthly existence.īut of course, that isn’t the case.
If it was the expectation of the Army, Air Force, Navy, or Marines that the Oath of Enlistment be eternal and binding then there would be no reason to ever swear it again.
In this instance, then, we need to look at how the agencies in question-the U.S. One of the ways that we can find the intent of a regulation is how it is applied by the agency responsible for applying it, and whether or not that application has been challenged. There is also the fact that within the Enlisted oath, as opposed to the Officer oath, there is no reference to discharging the duties of any office or position rather it refers only to the person defending, bearing true faith and allegiance, and following orders.īut a statutory requirement is often taken not just in its own words but in the context it occurs in, and this one is no different. That taken in a vacuum could imply that the oath is meant to be a lifetime commitment, especially when combined with the fact that there is no accompanying “de-enlistment” oath. Now, the meme is correct up to a point-there is no time frame referenced in 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 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. Officers instead swear the United States Uniformed Services Oath of Office:
“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. The problem being that it is completely wrong, and demonstrably so within the structure and nature of the military oath. My Oath of Enlistment has no expiration date,” such as the shirt at. You also see it phrased as “I am a Veteran.
It sounds decent enough, right? Nice and patriotic, and a reminder that there is something about military service that stays with a veteran for the rest of their lives. The above meme is one that goes around on Facebook from time to time among veterans of a certain political bent, not infrequently after events like the shootings in Colorado and California or the attacks in Paris.
So, with that disclaimer out of the way: Of course you were relieved of your oath to fight enemies both foreign and domestic. I say that because I’m going to tackle a meme that goes around Facebook among veterans, and I wanted to make clear that it is only against a meme that I believe is incorrect rather than against anyone’s service. My family has members that have served in wars going back to the Revolution, and I’m proud of that service. I have a number of them in my extended friend zone, and a number of them in my family. I have great respect for military veterans.