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  • 3/25/2025
"We do not take an oath to a king or a queen, a tyrant or dictator."

America's highest ranking officer, Gen. Mark Milley, vows the military will stay apolitical after Trump appointed loyalists to the Pentagon.
Transcript
00:00We do not take an oath to a king or a queen, a tyrant or a dictator.
00:06We do not take an oath to an individual.
00:10No, we do not take an oath to a country, a tribe, or a religion.
00:14We take an oath to the Constitution.
00:30Well, we can come here.
00:45We can see the relics and hear the stories through the eyes and the voices of the individual
00:49soldiers who endured so much for the cause of freedom and their unrelenting devotion
00:59to the Constitution of the United States, the moral North Star for all of us in uniform.
01:05It is that document that gives purpose to our service.
01:09It is that document that gives purpose to this museum.
01:15And we in uniform are willing to die to pass it on to the next generation.
01:22Within it are the ideas and the values that make up this experiment called the United
01:29States of America.
01:31And the motto of the United States Army for over 200 years, since 14 June, 1775, the motto
01:41has been, this we will defend.
01:46And that this refers to the Constitution and to protect the liberty of the American people.
01:53You see, we are unique among armies.
01:57We are unique among militaries.
02:00We do not take an oath to a king or a queen, a tyrant or a dictator.
02:06We do not take an oath to an individual.
02:09No, we do not take an oath to a country, a tribe, or a religion.
02:14We take an oath to the Constitution.
02:18And every soldier that is represented in this museum, every sailor, airman, marine, Coast
02:24Guardsman, each of us will protect and defend that document regardless of personal price.