January 3rd, 2010

To all military active duty, reserve, and guard members,

Air force emblem All military active duty, reserve, and guard members,

I have a lot of concerns to what I see on posts and current events in our great country today. I would like to challenge you on a few things about whom you are and why you do what you do.

To start with, let me give you a little background of myself. I served in the military all but the last five years of my adult life. I started my career in Jan 1983 and retired in Aug 2004. In that time, I served four different presidents and saw a lot of changes to DOD policy both good and bad. I am sure you see a lot of policy changes going on now also.

Those of you I now address are Oath Keepers. You joined this organization for the things you saw on the website or you heard one of us speak in some public forum. What you saw or heard fit into your line of thought. We all swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. This organization set up ten orders we will not follow which, if you will notice, follows that Constitution and its first ten amendments. This philosophy is why we are all here.

There are some who think this is a militia group. I tell you now we are not and will never be. That is not our goal. The day it is, I will drop my membership. I have nothing against militias and actually support them. The fact is it’s not our organization’s mission. I am a retired member of the United States Air Force and proud of my service.

You who still wear the uniform of your service are in a unique situation. There are people who think your commanders are corrupt and will order you to do things to violate your oath or our 10. I found in my service many senior officers who did play the political game, but I also found many who think like I do and will never order you to violate that oath or your principles. Trust me, they do exist. Some of them are already fellow members of the Oath Keepers.

There are policies implemented now or will be soon you will not agree with. I am not suggesting you violate these policies but as you know, there are ways around things to keep your dignity and integrity. You have to be tactful and use common sense. What is important is you stay strong and stay in.

We need you as members of our armed forces. We need you to make rank and keep to your principles. This is who you are and why you volunteered. In my opinion, serving in the armed forces is second only to law enforcement as the most dangerous job in our country. You could be killed at any time. I used to say shipped off to get killed but that is no longer the case as we learned this year. My point is you did it because you feel a sense of Duty, Honor, and Country. You do it for your families and friends at home. You are willing to make that sacrifice for our people and their way of life.

I’ve read lots of posts from military members talking about giving up and getting out. I’ve read posts from former military members encouraging members to get out. My point is if you all get out, all we have left in the military are the politicians and worthless members with no values or principles. If that happens, we are lost. We need you to continue your sacrifice, be strong, make rank, and make a difference. Trust me, you can make a big difference as long as you stick to your principles and look for like minded members and work together. I only wish I could get back in and help you but I am too old now. I can and will always support you. I will defend your honor here at home as an Oath Keeper. Never forget your service is needed and we love you all for your sacrifice.

Don Armstrong TSgt, USAF (Retired)

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Posted in All, Testimonials | 3 Comments »

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3 Responses to “To all military active duty, reserve, and guard members,”

1
Don Golden Says:
January 3rd, 2010 at 11:27 am
Don Armstrong, thanks for the encouragement to our active duty military. It was needed and you did it well.

Don Golden,
Dayton, Nv.
2
Eddie Gilbert Says:
January 4th, 2010 at 11:55 am
-
Well said, Don.

Thank you for your service to our Country and countrymen.

Thank you for standing up for your beliefs.

Thank you for being an Oath Keeper !

Eddie Gilbert
USMC SSgt 70-78
Peace Officer 97-present
3
Myra Says:
January 5th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Don, thank you for your service and the true inspiration to those that are presently serving. Beautifully said. God speed to you, to our USA and welcome aboard. Semper Fi

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"A veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard, or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to The 'United States of America', for an amount of 'up to and including his life.'" – Author Unknown

If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace. -- Thomas Paine

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Veterans, you swore an Oath...

Oath of Enlistment

I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) 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.

Officers Oath

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) 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

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Site Dedication

This site is dedicated to the memory of John William Adams (1925-2006), Marine and Oath Keeper extraordinaire.

John Adams, at the age of 16, lied about his age to join the Marines so he could fight against Imperial Japan in the Pacific. His enlistment date was December 10, 1941, just three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor (see below). As a Marine rifleman, he fought the Japanese from island to island, across the pacific, including at Iwo Jima. We may have good men, but we never had better.

Until his death in 2006, he was a dedicated patriot who still took his oath to defend the Republic deadly serious. May God grant you the courage to do likewise.

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OATH KEEPERS: ORDERS WE WILL NOT OBEY
Click here to read full length version. 1. We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people. 2. We will NOT obey orders to conduct warrantless searches of the American people 3. We will NOT obey orders to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to military tribunal. 4. We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state. 5. We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty. 6. We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps. 7. We will NOT obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext. 8. We will NOT obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to “keep the peace” or to “maintain control." 9. We will NOT obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies. 10.We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.
Click here to read full length version.

OATH KEEPERS: ORDERS WE WILL NOT OBEY

Click here to read full length version.

1. We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people.

2. We will NOT obey orders to conduct warrantless searches of the American people

3. We will NOT obey orders to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to military tribunal.

4. We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state.

5. We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty.

6. We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.

7. We will NOT obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.

8. We will NOT obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to “keep the peace” or to “maintain control."

9. We will NOT obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies.

10.We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.

Click here to read full length version.

Founder Stewart Rhodes

He is a former firearms instructor and former member of Rep. Ron Paul’s DC staff.

Stewart previously wrote the monthly Enemy at the Gates column for S.W.A.T. Magazine

Stewart graduated from Yale Law School in 2004, where his paper “Solving the Puzzle of Enemy Combatant Status” won Yale’s Miller prize for best paper on the Bill of Rights. He assisted teaching U.S. military history at Yale, was a Yale Research Scholar, and is writing a book on the dangers of applying the laws of war to the American people.