Oath Keeper Testimonial of Navy Veteran and Merchant Marine Captain

To my Fellow American Oath Keepers and all of the elected Professional Politicians in Washington, D.C. and the Capitals of the several States:

I took the Oath of Enlistment to support and defend the Constitution back in 1966.

My family has been on this continent since the 1600's and we have had military men in every generation. [As far back as I can trace at least.]

I volunteered for the Navy and wanted to learn to navigate a ship across the trackless oceans and seas that comprise most of our beautiful blue planet. In bootcamp I was unmasked as mechanically inclined and the Navy decided that I was going to spend my time in the bowels of the ship as a boilerman. [Arrrgh !]

As fate would have it after the Navy I went into the Merchant Marine and spent 25 incident free years as a Licensed Master navigating the trackless waters. [28 years in total.] I was a mustang in the Merchant Marine. In the Merchant Marine we would say that I "came up through the hawse pipe."]

While the Navy and I did not see eye to eye when I raised my hand I really did mean what I said when I swore that I Will support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
AND by inference support and defend my "country" and my "countrymen" and their rights as well. Personally "My Country" means the land and her people not necessarily her government or governmental institutions.

Some folks seem to have a problem with the stipulation that says that I [the oath taker] will obey the orders of the officers appointed over me.

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The Enlistment Oath:

"I, _____, do solemnly swear 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."
(Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the
wording first adopted in 1789,
with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

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Notice that part where it says "According to regulations and the UCMJ" ? Now I May be reading something into it But .... I don't think so. Doesn't it stand to reason that IF the order being given is in direct violation of the Constitution then it becomes "unlawful and void"? It seems so in my understanding. I do not see anything in the Oath that says I am to STOP THINKING - either for myself, my family, my unit, my country or my countrymen.

I know that some folks feel that any interaction with government of any kind is to be avoided and in my own way I agree BUT .... I really did mean my Oath. [to protect this "country" and her Constitution].

I would very much rather have the "correction" [the return to a Constitutional Republic (from the despotic Fascism we have now) ] happen nonviolently than to see my countrymen fighting each other in the streets.

Or God forbid, that my grown children or my toddler grandchildren should have to fight in the streets for their Liberty and God Given rights in my stead because I did not act.

Our shame as a nation of people who believe in Liberty and Freedom should be that our great-grand parents did not stand up to Lincoln, FDR and their ilk who gutted the Constitution while glibly lying to the population about their actual motives. FDR even wrote about his perfidy in detail. "On Our Way" is the name of the book he wrote.

In the Hope that a "show of hands" will stop the madness I will even suspend my desire for No Rulers of any kind and accept the original Constitutional Republic in place of this ridiculous mob-rule garbage (democracy) which is only face paint on a sow.

I want our Constitutional Republic back. I want our Liberties completely restored and Government greatly downsized. If a physical and violent confrontation cannot be avoided then I Am and always will be ready and willing to defend the Constitution and the God Given Rights it was written to preserve.

And I don't mean the "living document" version or the "just a GD piece of paper" version. I will defend the original version as written.

Towards that goal I am also supporting the Appleseed Project. http://appleseedinfo.org/

So .... what was the quote ?

From the founders themselves:

"We Pledge Our Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor."

Yep. I'll go that far as well.

YMMV

Capt. Gooch
USMM Ret.
Texas

III

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Eagle Scout [1963]

Navy Vet. ['66 to '69]

RWVA Mbr. [Sharpshooter]

GOA Mbr.

TSRA Mbr.

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