Oath of Enlistment

Throughout history, oaths have bound loyal military forces to their leaders and nations. They remain today as a mechanism to ensure such allegiance. The military branches in the United States rely on an Oath of Enlistment for enlisted personnel and an Oath of Office for officers. Although it is common today, the notable difference between oaths concerns the armed forces’ specific allegiance to the protection of the U.S. Constitution rather than a leader or political party. In contrast, the English and Canadian armed forces swear allegiance to their monarch. As a past example, Adolf Hitler in 1934 recommitted German military allegiance to himself directly when he replaced the prior oath to the German people and country. The history of the oath in the United States, ...