MILITARY'S DUTY

Holding the Line: The Military’s Duty to the Constitution, Not to a Man

When I raised my right hand in 1964 and swore my oath as a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps, I pledged:

“I, William J. Spriggs, having been appointed an officer in the Marine Corps of the United States, 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.”

Every officer takes that same oath.
Not to a president. Not to a party. Not to a movement.
To the Constitution of the United States.

Apolitical by Design

From day one, Marine officers are trained that our loyalty is not to personalities or to partisan agendas. We are taught to remain apolitical, to stand apart from the machinery of electoral politics. The Secretary of Defense gives direction, and we execute lawful objectives consistent with our constitutional duties, not partisan whims.

We are not, and must never become, an internal security force at the beck and call of any politician. That principle is bedrock to our republic. Without it, civilian control of the military collapses into the opposite of what the Founders envisioned: a political army enforcing the will of a single man.

The Posse Comitatus Principle

Although the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 formally applies to the Army and, by extension, the Air Force, the principle extends far beyond these organizations. For generations, Marines and Sailors have been schooled in the understanding that the U.S. military does not engage in domestic policing except under extreme, legally sanctioned emergencies. This line exists for a reason: a military force turned inward is the greatest danger to liberty.

There are rare exceptions for insurrections, disasters, and emergencies in which the President lawfully invokes the Insurrection Act. However, even then, military leaders have a duty to evaluate whether the orders they are given are legal. Every officer is taught to obey legal orders and disobey illegal orders.

A New Threat

Donald Trump has openly declared his intent to use the military to “put down” domestic “enemies.” He has surrounded himself with advisers who seek to dismantle the professional, apolitical military tradition and replace it with loyalty to him personally. This is not speculation; it is stated policy. It is the logical extension of the authoritarian blueprint known as Project 2025.

The objective is clear: manufacture a domestic crisis, declare internal enemies, and order the military to suppress them. This is not the use of the armed forces envisioned by the Constitution. It is the tactic of strongmen everywhere.

The Military Must Hold the Line

Every officer still serving, from the newest ensign to the most senior general, must remember their oath. It is not a pledge of fealty to Donald Trump or to any future president. It is a pledge to support and defend the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign or domestic.”

If an order is unlawful, it directs the military to act as an internal police force to suppress constitutionally protected activity. It is an illegal order. Officers have a duty to refuse it.

This is not a political position. It is a constitutional one. It is fidelity to the very document that gives the military its legitimacy.

A Call to Courage

The United States has long been a beacon because its military serves the people, not a person. That is what distinguishes us from juntas, strongmen, and dictatorships. That is why the public respects the uniform.

We cannot allow a president, or anyone, to turn our armed forces into his personal army. Those who wear the uniform must hold fast to the principles we were taught. They must recognize the danger and call it out. They must be prepared, if necessary, to say “no.”

The Constitution, not any individual, comes first. The day the military forgets that the republic dies.

William James Spriggs