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Upholding the Constitution through oaths

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Robert Hock
  • 32nd Air Refeuling Squadron
MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. --  I first raised my right hand and recited the Oath of Office almost 20 years ago, and I've repeated both the officer and enlisted oaths many times since -- both at my own promotion ceremonies and those of subordinates. But a smart senior master sergeant recently taught me something about the history and the meaning of the oaths we take that I had not really thought about before. 

Many militaries around the world require their members to take oaths, but ours are unique. They are unique because we swear to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States"... not the country, the president, or the flag ... but the Constitution. 

But why do we pledge our allegiance to a document and where did this idea originate? The answer is, "we don't." It's not the parchment that we support and defend, but the principles that it stands for -- the ideal of justice and liberty for all. In fact, our country's founding fathers so valued the Constitution and what it stood for, that requiring all civil and military officials to pledge their allegiance to the Constitution was their first order of business. 

On June 1, 1789, the first Continental Congress passed the first law of the United States of America. Statute 1, Chapter 1, required all government officials to take the following simple, yet meaningful oath: "I do solemnly swear to support the Constitution of the United States." Over the years, the officer and enlisted oaths evolved and underwent modifications, but remained principally the same in their meaning. 

The current oaths are more than a mere formality that adds to the pageantry of a commissioning or re-enlistment ceremony ... they provide a foundation for leadership decisions. The wording is significant and profound. Officers are not required to obey "unquestioningly" but are given the opportunity and flexibility for initiative and innovation. And while enlisted Airmen pledge to "obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over" them, similar flexibility is implied because the overriding allegiance is to the Constitution. Unlike many militaries around the world, we not only allow, but expect Airmen of all ranks to question those orders or actions they believe to be illegal or contrary to the principles of the Constitution. 

But with that flexibility come both responsibility and accountability for one's actions. Responsibility that soldiers at My Lai and Abu Ghraib tragically failed to live up to. They may have obeyed orders, but clearly they were not upholding the principles of the Constitution. As a result, they and the U.S. Army paid the price. 

These ideas are fundamental to America's success and endurance. They are the reason that the United States survived more than 230 years without military coups and why we remain the strongest, most advanced nation on earth ... the envy of governments and peoples worldwide. 

To understand your oath, you must understand the Constitution. Take pride in your oath and the awesome responsibility that comes with it. Know, hold sacred and uphold the Constitution and the principles that it stands for. It's what makes our military, and our Air Force, the absolute best in the world!