Could I humbly suggest that the meaning of any oath is imparted to it not by the solemnity of the occasion, but rather by the intention & seriousness with which it regarded by those who choose to take it, even more so than that of those who offer it?
I was fortunate to be young enough to be allowed the free choice of NOT taking it - - The draft having ended when I was around 12 years old - - and maybe that gave the choice of taking it a great deal more meaning to me. Can't say as I never had to deal with the opposite condition.
That, and I was a couple years older than the others who enlisted when I did, and had some previous experience with the concept of a binding oath through Scouts, Explorers, and some other more local 'youth' groups, and through family tradition - - a promise made freely must be kept.
Even if the oath was administered to me by a profoundly pregnant Air Force Major (made for a wonderful photo op), it was quite clear to me at the time that I was making a life-changing and potentially life-ending commitment.
It was also clear to me that not everyone taking the oath saw it that way. Boot Camp was remarkably effective at winnowing them out. Attrition in my platoon was something like 40%.
The all-volunteer service was still a fairly new thing at the time, less than 10 years old, and the military was not generally held in the wide public esteem it is today, even if it had recovered somewhat from the undeserved stigma it was painted with by those who opposed it, during the early 70's.
Public opinion about the military at the time seemed to be echoed by the movies "Stripes," which was still running when I signed up for delayed enlistment, and "An Officer and a Gentleman," which was out the summer before I actually shipped. Which essentially portrayed enlistment as a refuge for incompetents & clowns, and OCS as a reform school for egotistical pretty-boys who "...Got nowhere else to go!"
Luckily, I had enough older friends and family with military experience to be able to debunk those views. And the truth of the matter also opposed that Hollywood view in nearly every case. The hugely vast majority of those I served with and under were serious and competent people who took their oath seriously.
Let's just say I was also fortunate in the President I served under. No politics implied.
Do I see my enlistment oath as binding on me in all it's details now, today, 30+ years after I swore it and better than 25 years after my contract ended? Am I still subject to military discipline, or the orders of the chain of command?
No.
I'm no longer in the service; I am a civilian citizen and my rights and responsibilities echo that status. The President is no longer my commander; he is an employee of the government and I'm not.
But did I put down my personal responsibility to support & defend the Constitution and the nation from any who would harm it, when I hung up my blues?
Not on your life. That duty will never leave me, because I chose it - - and because in my humble opinion that duty is inherent in considering oneself a citizen of this nation. The available tools and tactics have changed, but the duty remains.
I suspect I am not alone in this position; I may or may not be in the minority today by holding it, but I suspect this opinion or something similar is far more widespread than is immediately apparent.
Happy Veterans Day.
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