Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal

On Tuesday, 30 September, the U.S. senior military leadership gathered at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, to hear Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump deliver remarks. The meeting struck both civilian and military personnel as rather odd. What was the assembly about exactly?

Larry Wilkerson, a retired colonel and former chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, called the meeting “(the) most bizarre thing I’ve seen in my time on Earth.”

Others, in official positions, questioned the motive for the meeting. They perceived it as having broad implications for those disagreeing with the “warrior ethos” articulated by Hegseth and Trump. Others expressed concern that the Trump Administration’s military approach was for a government-wide takeover based on greed, power, and Christian nationalism. In other words, the gathering was a loyalty test.

This begs the question: to whom do military personnel owe their loyalty? The answer is found in their oaths.

The Oath of Enlistment (for all enlisted) reads: “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.”

The Oath of Office (for officers) reads: “I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the _____ (Military Branch) of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, So help me God.”

The Oath of Office for the Commander-in-Chief (president), as found in Article II Section I of the U.S. Constitution, reads: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

At his swearing in as Secretary of Defense, Hegseth took an oath that reads, “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; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, So help me God.”

This last oath is also taken by the vice president, senators, representatives, cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, and other federal service employees. The oath is found in Title 5, U.S. Code, Chapter 33, Subchapter II, Section 3331, and has been in use since 1884.

The emphasis of these oaths is on “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” They are not pledges of fealty to a person, regardless of who he or she may be. The intent of the authors of the Constitution was and remains the protection of the civil rights and liberties of U.S. citizens. The role of the U.S. military is to uphold the Constitution for the protection and safety of the people.

However, apparently, Trump and Hegseth hold a different view. As Wilkerson observed, “Hegseth essentially said, ‘I want you all to be killers, I want you to be killers for America. I want you to be killers for the flag. I want you to be killers under all circumstances where I give you orders to go to war or to do something that I’ve given you an executive order for. I want you to be that kind of person.” 

The military mindset has been to stay out of politics, to stand above the fray. Military culture, by intentional design, is disinterested in taking any authoritarian action. The Trump/Hegseth Quantico speeches are a red flag warning to both the military and civilians. The Trumpian policies, including the deployment of National Guard to the streets of American cities and the illegal military strikes in international waters against alleged narco-terrorists, among other issues, are nothing less than an assault on and antithetical to the traditional guardrails of military service and leadership and the Constitution they swore to uphold.

We need ethical and moral leaders, both men and women, who are committed to the Constitution to remain in military leadership. May the current leadership, and those who follow, bear in mind and adhere to the words of George Washington, “The Constitution is the guide I will never abandon.”

Edward Elgar – Enigma Variations, Op.36: IX. (Nimrod)

Queensland Symphony Orchestra

Photographs

Photograph 1: Dog tags: by Holly Mindrup on Unsplash  

Photograph 2: U.S. military senior leadership listen as President Donald Trump speaks at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Quantico, Va. (Andrew Harnik/Pool via AP)