I swore to uphold and protect for the rest of my life. | November 16th, 2009

I took the oath when I enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1983. Coming from a family with a military background, my only thought at the time was keeping the tradition going.


I took the oath when I enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1983. Coming from a family with a military background, my only thought at the time was keeping the tradition going.

I come from a long line of soldiers, sailors, and warriors who helped to shape this Nation. I enlisted and served because I believed that I owed a debt to this Nation which has provided me with the freedom to succeed or fail based upon my own effort and the grace of God.

I served 9 years in the U.S. Coast Guard – 6 of them as a Search & Rescue Aircrewman and 2 as a Criminal Investigator assigned to Coast Guard Intelligence (now the Coast Guard Investigative Service). After leaving the Coast Guard I spent 2 1/2 years as a municipal Police Officer before going back onto the federal payroll as a Special Agent with the U.S. Customs Service.

It’s been over 40 years but…… I took the oath for a lifetime, you can depend on me be they foreign or domestic…. the flag stands for our freedom.

In today’s America it gives me confidence to know that there is other members of the military that are dedicated to the Constitution and to the protection of freedom in this Great Nation.

I served honorably in the Army in Korea and in Vietnam during the wars there. My primary duty in the 21 years I spent in the Army was that of a CID agent, i.e., a criminal investigator.

I feel as if I have found a “home”. This Organization will have my support and my loyalty. I look forward to the future feeling that all is NOT lost. I rejoice in again having a Cause.

As a Senior NCO I am very aware of the Oath that I have taken numerous times in my 20+ years of service. Before I was even aware of “Oath Keepers” I had engaged in numerous conversations with superiors and subordinates about the very issues stated in your “Orders we will not obey”.

I came to these shores in October of 1959 as an immigrant with my parents escaping the tyranny of Fidel Castro. When my adopted nation called for its people to fight in Vietnam I was one of the first to volunteer.

I swore the oath almost 50 years ago when joining the Navy. I did so in good faith even though I didn’t realize the full significance of it at the time. As a career Naval Officer I never found the oath to be a burden upon me, it just seemed to be the right thing to do; and doing otherwise would be unthinkable.

My service created a man who is proud to be an American, respectful of the laws of God and man, honors his wife and family, and a man who would give his life to keep his country free.

I am a combat veteran who served in the Army infantry in Iraq from August 2005 to December 2006. I served in Mosul, Tall Afar, and Baghdad.

I join the Army in 1986, and on that hot day in Cleveland I took a oath which is just as important today as it was that day.

As a veteran of the USAF (1966 to 1970) I am proud to be joining all of you as a new member of Oath Keepers. I also want to reaffirm the oath that I took at my enlistment and that “I will support and defend the Constitution

I proudly served in the Army for 5 years and the Army National Guard for 3. I enlisted at age 17 in March of 1982. When I gave my oath, the part about following lawful orders stuck with me.

I was never asked (or told) to serve under a different uniform or flag. But in my mind, this decision was perfectly in keeping with my oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.

I didn’t want this. You didn’t want this. But you and I are alive in 2009 so this is our cross. We took the oath. You can count on me.