Free Republic

At 10 AM on Monday, January 5, 1959, I swore this oath on entering the United States Marine Corps: "I do solemnly swear 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." That oath has no expiration date and is good for everything,...

When I joined the US Army back in 1964, like all people entering the military, I took an oath of enlistment along with people of all branches of the service who were enlisting with me. I promised uphold and defend the constitution among other things. My wife is a career naval officer and she had the honor of enlisting our daughter yesterday. To be sure that she did a good job she walked around for a couple of days memorizing the oath she would issue to our daughter. Things have changed. Today, there is a separate Oath of Enlistment for...