I remember well the day I took the oath of enlistment – January 2, 1985. On that day I solemnly swore to “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.”

This oath is very similar to the oath that military officers take to which he/she solemnly swears (or affirms) that he/she will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that he/she will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that he/she takes this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that he/she will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God.

The oath of office above is virtually identical to the oath of office taken by Senators, Congressmen and Congresswomen, as well the President of the United States. In each case, the individual swears to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that he/she will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. Again, very similar to the oath of enlistment.

However, note the responsibilities the enlisted service member is charged to uphold in addition to supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States. The enlisted man or woman swears to obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over him/her, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

What that means to me is that we are to rely on the sound judgment of those officers above us – military, Congressional, or Executive – to discern right from wrong and communicate that to their subordinates.

Notice that the oath of office, versus the oath of enlistment, does not prescribe obedience to the President of the United States, but does require the officer or officeholder to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same.”

Implicit in this oath is that the officer (or office holder) should discern those orders which would be morally questionable or would put the Constitution of the United States in peril. By deliberately obeying an order that is morally questionable or would put the Constitution of the United States in peril, the officer is not bearing true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States.

All that to say this: I believe the Constitution is in peril and we need officers – office holders – who “will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.” We need leadership that we can trust to discern right from wrong, communicate that to those they represent, and stand for the right – whether it’s popular or not, politically correct or incorrect.

The day I entered the U.S. Army – January 2, 1985 – I swore an oath to “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.”

My oath has no expiration date.