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It’s an oath that all members of the U.S. military know:
“I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.”
For 85 young men and women at the Baltimore Military Entrance Processing Station, it was a bit more involved as they were sworn into service by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III.
Austin, who spent 41 years in the Army, used the occasion to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of America’s all-volunteer military. He also took the time to meet the newest members and welcome them “to the greatest team in the world.”
Many of those swearing into service also shipped today. They arrived at the processing station at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, were sworn in and will find themselves at Fort Moore, Georgia; Parris Island, South Carolina; or Great Lakes, Illinois, by the end of the day.
“This is a big day for the young people standing in front of me,” Austin said. “You’ve arrived here as individuals, but you’re going to leave here as part of a team.”
They are also the latest members of the all-volunteer force. “Fifty years ago this week, the United States stopped drafting citizens into service and turned instead to an all-volunteer force,” Austin said. “Ever since then, Americans like you have joined our military, out of conviction and not out of compulsion.”
Beginning in 1940, the Selective Service — the Draft — manned the military and provided the forces needed for World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Cold War.
“Shifting over to an all-volunteer force, was a pretty bold step,” the secretary said. “No other military with such formidable capabilities operated on a volunteer basis. But the whole world has seen the results.”
Austin joined the Army in 1975. “And I’ve watched over the decades, as the U.S. military has grown into the outstanding and incredibly professional fighting force that it is today,” he said. “America’s all-volunteer force is the strongest military in human history. And the power of today’s military is a testament to every American patriot who freely volunteers to keep our republic safe.”
The new service members are now part of something much bigger that just themselves. “We rely on you, our democracy relies on you, and your country relies on you,” Austin said.
In the armed forces, the new service members will find opportunities to grow and to lead, he said. “You’ll work hard. You’ll learn new skills and you’ll put them to use at home and abroad,” the secretary said. “And you’ll learn that success is a team sport. You will stand proud alongside outstanding teammates from all walks of life. And you will work, train and fight together as soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines and guardians.”
Austin said the department has a sacred obligation to take care of those volunteers as well as their families. “We commit ourselves to take care of you just as you are committing yourselves to take care of all of us,” he said.
