Commissioning

At the end of your time in ROTC, you will have the honor of being commissioned into the Army; a pivotal point in any soldier’s career. During this ceremony, you will be required to cite the Oath of the Commissioned Officer. The Commissioned Officer Oath has existed since the times of the Continental Army, but was changed a number of times. Finally in 1959, the Oath received its current form. Reciting the Oath is a rite of passage. It swears your allegiance to the Constitution of this great nation; not to any person or government entity. It’s what makes our country unique; that we put allegiance in a piece of paper that represents the democratic republic ideals that this nation was founded upon.

I ___, 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.