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VaBeachGuy

16 Years Ago Today

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It was 16 years ago today, May 27th in 1988 that I took the oath of enlistment for the U.S. Army.

 

It was about 12:30 in the afternoon, I stood in a room with 20 other men all facing an American Flag and an Army flag when a Captain walked in and said "Raise your right hand and repeat after me":

 

"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; 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."

 

It was a moment that gave me a chill and a real sense of pride, and just remembering it 16 years later gives me the same feeling. Hard to believe it's been 16 years.

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Ya know, VBG, in my job right now in the Navy, I see alot of kids--and I use that word cus that's what they are, really--come in after having taken the oath, and they all seem to walk alittle taller, and they have this smirk on their face after they've taken the oath. to many of them, it's given them a purpose, and they know it. I remember when I took the oath. I was 17 years old, and thought "Damn, this is it. no turning back."

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I remember when I first took my oath at MEPS in downtown Buffalo, May 21, 1997 and when I re-enlisted on Feburary 11, 2001. It was my proudest day of my life so far. The oath of enlisted was and still is very powerful statement to me. I still remember my first and last day at Great Lakes as if it was yesturday.

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