Posted with permission from From the Green Notebook
On January 12th, the Joint Chiefs of Staff urged all service-members to “remain fully committed to protecting and defending the Constitution […].” The memorandum also commands service-members to “keep your eyes on the horizon.” Unfortunately, if you are looking toward the Capitol, non-scalable fencing and concertina wire currently mar that horizon.
Civil servants, military service-members, those holding political office, and the rest of the “We” in “We the People” must unite in stewardship to the Constitution if we are to have a functioning democracy. We owe it to our country to see the horizon as a vision of aspiration instead of desolation.
For those also in public service, now is a time to reflect on the oath we took. Often, when measuring our performance against our respective oath, our performance needs amendment. And while I have often personally found that to be true, when reflecting on the two oaths, perhaps this time it’s the oath that needs amending rather than the behavior.
View the rest of the article at From the Green Notebook https://fromthegreennotebook.com/2021/01/17/its-time-to-amend-the-oath-of-enlistment/
About the Author
Benjamin Ordiway is a Civil Affairs Officer currently pursuing an M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Michigan. He enlisted as a Cavalry Scout in the Army in 2004 and received his commission as an Armor Officer from the United States Military Academy in 2012.