"I, Jonathan David Bratten, having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of second lieutenant do solemnly swear..."     

As much as one trains, prepares, and looks forward to one moment, it can always take you by surprise.  I had expected to be nervous as I walked up to take the oath, but I did not expect how the oath itself would effect me.   

"...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..." 

      Echoing the words of the officer who was reading the oath to me, I was caught up in the very power of the words: "Support and defend."  "True faith and allegiance."  People don't really talk like that anymore.  Perhaps that is where the strength of the oath comes from, in the lack of every-day parlances.  However, I think that the strength found in the oath comes from the collective memory that is found in it.  To support and defend the Constitution means to stand against those who would try to destroy it, even friends and family, as those who fought in the Civil War found out, to their sorrow.  It means that the core of the nation is in its founding document, not just in its representatives.  To bear true faith and allegiance to that Constitution is to never compromise the principles found therein.  "That I take this obligation freely" struck me most of all, especially as I reflected on what this meant during the American Revolution.  The oath was different then, as officers swore that they renounced the rule of Britain and pledged to fight King George III, and his successors, until independance was won.  An officer cannot be uncertain as to the gravity of his or her assignment, or waver in their dedication.  

   "...and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter..."      

      The most substantive part of the oath is at the end, with, "I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter."  It is in these eighteen words that the officer's entire career is summarized.  It means to take care of your soldiers above your own needs.  It means long days and long nights.  It means obeying orders even if they don't seem to make sense to you.  It means setting the example.  It means never ceasing to educate yourself in your field.  It means always knowing that your platoon sergeant knows your job better than you do, and making it your goal to learn as much as you can from your NCOs.  It means long periods spent away from loved ones.  Above all, it means bearing the weight of your soldiers' lives on your shoulders and still being able to stand tall and make the critical decisions needed in the moment. 

    All of this hit me in the minute that it took for me to be commissioned.  I realized that I was standing with so many other strong men and women who have gone before me, from the hardships of Valley Forge, through the terrors of Gettysburg, because of the sacrifices at Normandy, and now to the very moment that I said, "So help me God."  The Army had done its part.  It was now up to me to fulfil what I swore to do.

"So help me God."