“I, (name), 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; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. (So help me God).”
Upon enlisting in the U.S. Armed Forces, each person takes the above oath of enlistment.
It is a solemn, binding promise that includes the following:
- A promise to protect American values, rights, and the rule of law, not a person.
- Obedience to the President and officers appointed over them.
- A voluntary promise to put the nation and its people first.
- An understanding they may be required to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
Six who once bravely and boldly took that oath were:
Nicole Amor
Declan Coady
Cody Khork
Jeffrey O’Brien
Robert Marzan
Noah Tietjens
These captains, sergeants, majors and more — ages 20 to 54 — from California to Iowa, Florida and elsewhere — were killed at the onset of Operation Epic Fury.
While these deaths occurred in Kuwait, the soldiers were attacked by Iranian drones as part of a wide-scale retaliatory campaign. For the first time in history, Tehran targeted all six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a political and economic union of six Arab states bordering the Persian Gulf which aims to foster economic, security, and cultural cooperation among its monarchies. Iran targeted them in addition to several other U.S. regional partners.
Just because their deaths happened thousands of miles away from most of us, I don’t want there to be any out-of-sight-out-of-mind mentality. Those persons’ innocent lives were lost. Every life has a name. Every name has a story. And every story matters to God.
Behind each of those names are families who love them deeply. There are parents who raised them, friends who laughed with them, coworkers who trusted them, and communities who will forever feel their absence. Their lives were full of moments that mattered long before this moment ever arrived.
When someone raises their right hand and takes that oath, they know there are risks. They understand that service can ask a great deal of them. Yet they step forward anyway — not because it’s easy, but because they believe in serving something bigger than themselves. That kind of selflessness deserves our gratitude and remembrance.
When I think about the men and women who admirably serve this country, I’m reminded that they come from every background and every viewpoint imaginable. They don’t all vote the same way. They don’t all think the same way. But they still stand shoulder to shoulder in service. Maybe there’s something we can learn from that.
Maybe the best way we can honor those who serve — and those we have lost — is by remembering that we’re all in this together. By speaking a little more kindly. By listening a little more patiently. By refusing to let politics turn neighbors into enemies. We can’t control the conflicts that occur in distant places, but we can control the spirit we bring to our own communities.
Nicole. Declan. Cody. Jeffrey. Robert. And Noah.
May their service never be forgotten. May their families be surrounded by love and support. And may their memory remind us to value one another a little more.
Respectfully…
AR