Section 24. Every commissioned officer, before entering upon the performance of official duties or exercising any command, shall take and subscribe the following oath and declaration:

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I, ___ , do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and will support the constitution thereof and the constitution of the United States, that I will obey the lawful orders of all my superior officers, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent on me as ___ according to the best of my ability and understanding, agreeably to the rules and regulations of the constitution and the laws of the commonwealth and the United States. So help me, God.

All officers shall take and subscribe the said oath before any competent authority or an officer qualified under section 81 to administer oaths, except retired officers and aides-de-camp of the commander-in-chief who may take said oath before any competent authority. The following certificate shall be printed on every commission and shall be signed by the person before whom the officer is qualified:

This may certify that ___ , commissioned as within on this ___ day of___ , A.D., ___ personally appeared and took and subscribed the oaths required by the constitution and laws of this commonwealth and by a law of the United States, as qualification for the discharge of official duties.

Before me, ___ .