The Oath

 

I, Matthew E. Robinson, 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 is the oath of enlistment. I first said those words in February of 1981, shortly before I shipped out to Fort Leonard Wood for basic training. I would repeat them during a reenlistment ceremony and as the reenlisting official for many of my subordinates over the years. Later I would say the following words upon receiving my commission as an officer in the Army:

I, Matthew E. Robinson, 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; 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.

In both cases, I swore allegiance to the Constitution, to the body of ideals which frame our national government. As an enlisted man, I swore to obey the orders of the President as long as they were lawful. Interestingly, the oath for officers omits the reference to the president. In both cases, our oath is to support and defend the constitution. As an officer, there were several times in which I had to confront a superior officer, once a two-star general, over issues that violated our constitution. Fortunately for me, those higher up agreed with my understanding of our constitution and my career survived. I wonder if it would today.

Our president seems to have forgotten that those who serve in our government take an oath to protect and defend the constitution, not an oath of fealty to the president. The backbone, the strength of our government lies in the fact that those who serve, do not blindly serve a man or woman. No, they serve the nation by their devotion to a body of ideals encapsulated by the Constitution. This is often difficult.

I remember the fear and trepidation that I felt as I told a two-star general, “No sir. We cannot do that it is illegal and immoral.” Deployed to combat in Iraq, I felt quite alone and without support. Fortunately for me, the three-star general above both of us agreed with my interpretation of the situation and the matter was dropped. But it was not fun. 

I hope that someone will educate our President, reminding him that the government is not his personal fiefdom and governmental officials serve a higher purpose. It is not fun to hear the words no, that is unconstitutional or illegal; however, those in power need to feel that check when they want to go outside the law. Given our Presidents proclivity for revenge and retribution over any perceived slight, real or imagined, I hope that they have the courage needed and our support as necessary.