The Oath

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

I took this oath and I didn't even think twice when I signed my name. A veteran is someone who at one time wrote a blank check made payable to the US Government payable up to including their life. We are only the three percent of Americans who have ever worn the military uniform of our country. Why do I bring this up and what is the purpose of this story? It is two fold actually. One is that the veteran has to fight just as hard as the disabled worker for any and all disability pay they receive. There are people who sit at the Veterans Hospital all day saying this hurt and that hurts, but six years later, they have full compensation.

I was in the Infantry. The Infantry Creed reads like this: The Infantryman’s Creed

I am the Infantry.

I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace.

I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever.

I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies.

I am the Queen of Battle.

I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier

in the world.

In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous,

armed with a fierce will to win.

Never will I fail my country’s trust.

Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph

overall.

If necessary, I will fight to my death.

By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of

freedom.

I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to

superior odds,

For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight.

I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred

duty.

I am relentless.

I am always there, now and forever.

I AM THE INFANTRY!

FOLLOW ME!

The above creed was ingrained into my head from day one of basic training until graduation day. Everyone's job was important, the medic, cook, supply everything. But the ones on the front lines were the ones and still are the ones who take the heat of battle.

I believe a veteran who has served honorably and and comes back severely injured or even injured with documentation, should not have to hire a lawyer and spend five years of his or her life proving their case through appeal after appeal. We went and served for you so why when we return and need the services, medical, medications etc that we are denied at every corner? We had to take a complete physical in order to enlist and if anything was amyss, then we were denied entry. So why are we denied what we ask for when we return home? To be provided with decent health care and compensation for our injuries.

The military isn't the only ones who take an oath. That would be our first responders. You don't know how much you depend on them until you really need one. Have you seen a police officers funeral brigade? Let me explain. I worked for Frontier Airlines in Denver when an officer was killed. He had thirty-five family members coming into Denver from various locations from around the country. Each family member had a uniformed officer assigned to them to meet their needs, meals, shopping, hotels the works and transportation to the funeral home and funeral. That is what a veteran should receive also. It is a brotherhood that binds us together and a bond formed through our service together

In this picture above a Marine stands by his buddies casket. A promise he made over fifty years ago in Vietnam. An unbreakable bond between friends who served our great nation. A brotherhood like no other that so few get to experience. It wasn't all peaches and cream when I was in nor was it easy. Getting up at four thirty am to run two miles in a driving snow wasn't my idea of fun, but looking back on it now I wouldn't trade those days for all of the money in the world.