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I was vehemently anti the Vietnam war. They drafted me anyway and sent me there. Really during my time there, it was about buddies and trying not to get yourself killed. The whole right and wrong of it disappeared. Certainly NO ONE I met ever thought it was about freedom, country or any of that BS they feed you. Going back to the world was all that mattered. There were a few who got a rush out of it. Not many. I was Army. Marines may have been different. After I got back I was even more anti-war than I had been. I still am.
The British Oath of allegiance reflects the fact that the Armed Forces serve the sovereign (Queen Elizabeth II) and not Parliament or Politicians.
Quote:
I... swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will, as in duty bound, honestly and faithfully defend Her Majesty, Her Heirs and Successors, in Person, Crown and Dignity against all enemies, and will observe and obey all orders of Her Majesty, Her Heirs and Successors, and of the generals and officers set over me.
Each Regiment also has it's own Colonel in Chief, often a member of the British Royal Family or in certain cases a member of a foreign Royal Family such as the The Light Dragoons whose Colonel in Chief is The King of Jordan or the The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment whose Colonel in Chief is Margrethe II of Denmark (The Queen of Denmark).
What does make me laugh is when tourists in London or Windsor get in the way of the Guards (who are professional soldiers carrying out Guard Duty and who have served in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan). The Tourists don't exoect the Guards to suddenly scream at them, as contrary to myth the Guards don't always just stand around mute, and they don't always take kindly to tourists getting in their way or misbehaving - LOL.
What should it be?
Is it religion first - before country and family or should it be country first?
There is no state religion so I'd take out or demote the God part.
When did it change???
"When I was in the Corps, loyalty was to God Corps and then country (and still is for me). We swore to uphold and protect the Constitution and abide by LAWFUL orders. Marines swore loyalty to the Corps first in order to protect the Constitution and our Country from all enemies foreign and domestic which is why Corps came before country. That key word "domestic" was put there for a reason. Swearing to country before Corps makes the domestic part of our oath invalid. "
Clearly, this bozo didn't grasp the oath he swore to.
What is a soldier's order of loyalty? What should it be?
Is it religion first - before country and family or should it be country first?
There is no state religion so I'd take out or demote the God part.
When did it change???
"When I was in the Corps, loyalty was to God Corps and then country (and still is for me). We swore to uphold and protect the Constitution and abide by LAWFUL orders. Marines swore loyalty to the Corps first in order to protect the Constitution and our Country from all enemies foreign and domestic which is why Corps came before country. That key word "domestic" was put there for a reason. Swearing to country before Corps makes the domestic part of our oath invalid. "
What possible need would a god have for the Marine Corps?
There are military services other than the Marine Corps.
This really isn't all that complicated. The oath you take upon entering military service is spelled out. If from that one can't figure out what loyalty is or how to interpret it, then maybe they shouldn't be in the military.
A soldier's order of loyalty? It figures, only a Marine would ask, everyone else already figured it out.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by katzpaw
What is a soldier's order of loyalty? What should it be?
Is it religion first - before country and family or should it be country first?
There is no state religion so I'd take out or demote the God part.
When did it change???
"When I was in the Corps, loyalty was to God Corps and then country (and still is for me). We swore to uphold and protect the Constitution and abide by LAWFUL orders. Marines swore loyalty to the Corps first in order to protect the Constitution and our Country from all enemies foreign and domestic which is why Corps came before country. That key word "domestic" was put there for a reason. Swearing to country before Corps makes the domestic part of our oath invalid. "
To the best of my memory, when I entered the military we were taught Country, unit, family. That was the USAF order in 1976. Religion and God did not enter into it. And looking out for your unit automatically fulfilled the first. We were also taught not to die for our country but to make sure the other SOB died for his. Sometimes levity eased the cold war stresses.
Oh is that why you bubble heads were always odd ducks? Too much time underwater in close quarters?
When I was in the Marine Corps, I would say it was first my unit, and then the Corps, country, etc. Really, it was primarily the people that served right alongside me though.
That's what it boils down to, isn't it? The old instruction movies always stressed that if you did something wrong, you might be in danger of life and limb, but you'd also be separated form your outfit - the latter being the ultimate threat
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