32 USC 304 – Enlistment oath
Each person enlisting in the National Guard shall sign an enlistment contract and subscribe to the following oath:
“I do hereby acknowledge to have voluntarily enlisted this ____ day of ________, 19__, in the ____________ National Guard of the State of ____________ for a period of ____ year(s) under the conditions prescribed by law, unless sooner discharged by proper authority.
“I, ________________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and of the State of ____________ against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to them; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the Governor of ____________ and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to law and regulations. So help me God.”
The oath may be taken before any officer of the National Guard of the State or Territory, or of Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia, as the case may be, or before any other person authorized by the law of the jurisdiction concerned to administer oaths of enlistment in the National Guard.
Terms Used In 32 USC 304
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
- oath: includes affirmation, and "sworn" includes affirmed. See 1 USC 1
- officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
- State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7