I joined Oath Keepers because of a questionnaire during my service
I first took my Oath to our Constitution in 1979 when at 18 I joined the US Army. This was the most profound action that I had ever taken before in my life and the feeling of pride that radiated in my soul on that day was quite a powerful one for me. I felt a strange feeling of the presence of my ancestors who had fought for and some who had payed the ultimate price in the service of our country actually looking on in proud approval as I repeated the words that to this day have cemented themselves into my psyche.
I will always remember the full bird Col. who returned my call to the recruiter the day before to state that I wanted to become an Airborne Ranger. His first words to me were, “So Mister Massey, you want to jump out of airplanes and eat snakes do you”. My reply was a resounding, “Your damn right sir” and with a chuckle his reply back was, “Pack up your bags Massey because you are about to take a ride to begin a very hard but very rewarding path”. He wasn’t kidding either, lucky for me I took him seriously and packed up that night because the very next morning there was a knock on the door and to my shocked surprise I was looking at the most strak spit and polished SFC I had ever seen even in all of the movies or books that I had read or seen about our military.
I was driven to Chicago Illinois to the MEPS center and before I knew it, I was a brand new enlistee for the United States Army. The following months were just as the Col. had said they would be, gut wrenching, exhausting, demanding of everything that my young body and mind could muster. One very important thing that my Drill Sgt. told me one night while on fire watch, and this was coming from a multiple tour Vietnam vet of the 75th Ranger Regiment, (which I had orders to report to as a RIP trainee at Fort Benning GA.) with so many awards it would boggle your mind, Private Massey when it feels like you cannot take another step and you think that you’re going to die from lack of sleep and nothing in your gut to speak of, just do this one thing. Put one foot in front of the other, just keep putting one foot in front of the other and always keep moving forward.
I did not think much of it other than if it was coming from this awesome man that I had come to trust with my very life, there must be something to it, and there was. I had to fall back on that advice that was given to me that night back at Fort Jackson S.C. for the rest of my military career that was in both active, reserve and guard from 1979 until 2002.
I was RIF in 1993 during the draw down period thanks to the politics of the day and just enlisting from the reserve for Desert storm in 1991 and in turn losing all of my rank just to reenlist active. Therefore, I went back into the National Guard and got back in the backdoor again to serve as a regular active duty soldier.
The reason why I joined The Oath Keepers is that I still remember the questionnaire that was given to the 1st Cav. right before the drawdowns began and I was offended and hurt to my core with the one that asked whether I would fire on American citizens if ordered to do so. My answer to say the least was in the negative response and I can remember my exact wording to that unthinkable and in my opinion Un-American question and the little bit of trouble that the Old lifer who understood my indignation and anger subjected me to for disciplines sake, who was given the job of administering the questionnaire. I wrote down in big block letters, Hell no, I would probably turn my weapon on the so-called leader who gave me that illegal order.
The next month I was called into my boss’s office who was the Division S2 command SMAJ and he just smiled like he knew what I had wrote and the trouble I got into, and he most likely did know, he said, I wish this was another time specialist Massey and I did not have to inform you that the Army has decided to put you on the Reduction in Force list. There was no use in fighting it.
I expect there were hundreds if not thousands of others that answered that question as I did and they too found themselves on the way out. That is why I have taken on this stand and I will put one foot in front of the other to ensure that those kinds of orders will not happen on our watch. Sometimes I sense myself straying from the mission, I can’t help it, I’m a trigger puller, I have been all of my adult life, but then I think back to my training and that sage advice of my DI in basic and that gets me back in the lane that I have chosen at this time.
The motto of The Oath Keepers is spot on target though for those who do not quite know if this is for them. “NOT ON OUR WATCH” Live it, Think it, Defend it, make it explode with the growth of education and never stop planting one foot at a time forward to ultimate victory.
I could probably give many more details of service some still very much classified, some unclassified, but this is only a testimonial and not a book. When we all get together to talk and memorialize our fallen one day we can tell our war stories and exploits as all old soldiers will do, when we meet across the river under that big old tree.
Thank you all for your service to our great Republic, and May the Creator shine his divine providence on us all.
In Truth,Service and Liberty,
R.E.Massey
Savannah, GA.
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July 28th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
Mr. Massey, your testimonial is very inspiring. It is an honor to welcome you to Oath Keepers.
Rangers Lead the Way.
July 28th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
My time is short and this Ranger will stand alone against many enemies of our constitution. I’m only sorry for those I leave behind undefended. RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!!!
July 28th, 2010 at 8:33 pm
Welcome to Oath Keepers Mr. Massey. We are proud to have you, and thank you for your service.
July 31st, 2010 at 10:59 am
Mr. Massey thank you for being a principled man, now days when the troops answer as you did they just seem to get fast tracked to the (front line).
July 31st, 2010 at 9:37 pm
Eric,
It might not be as sinister as you make it sound. The type of person who would take on such responsibilities is the caliber of volunteer we have across the board. Don’t slight them. They are on the front lines, not only on our war fronts, but also our Constitutionally protected freedoms. The socialist left fully intends that Mr. Massey will follow unconstitutional orders against his fellow citizens. They are in for a surprise!
August 12th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Mr. Massey – You are a true Patriot – thank you for your service to our country and to your true understanding of Freedom – your testimonial was heartfelt and you know that you did not stand alone in answering that questionaire….and you will not stand alone with this organization. Welcome –
Celia Hyde
Board of Directors
August 30th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
Mr. Massey thank you. The fight will be won through education of new recruits who enlist with eyes closed to the realities of their obligation.
It is interesting how the media tries to paint the Oath Keepers as subversive organization, but that seems ridiculous the alternative being oath breakers
September 1st, 2010 at 12:06 am
on may 5th 2010 i paid 50.00 membership fee via paypal and till this day i have not received anything
September 6th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
robert t mitchell,
Have you reported this to your State leadership on the member forums? Once you do that, your issue will be resolved in short order.
They will forward your information and complaint to the persons charged with processing memberships. That way you aren’t posting your addresse, email and paypal info in the wild.
September 6th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
robert t mitchell,
Even better, here is the text from the membership application page, linked at the top of the main page. memberships@oathkeepers.org is the email to use, if you don’t want to go through your State leadership.
If you have joined and it has been longer than six weeks and you have not yet received your membership package, please email us at memberships@oathkeepers.org and let us know so we can be sure your packet gets to you. When you email us, tell us if you signed up online or if you did so by mailing in an application. Please also include your name, current mailing address, phone number, date you signed up and the email you used to sign up (if you signed up online). That info will help us track down your membership order and make sure the mailing address is correct and current (we have had a few come back from the postal service because of bad addresses).