What is the purpose of the US Army?

This may sound like a trick question, but its not. Most people have a severe misconception when it comes to the purpose of the US Army.

There is one commonality that binds all Soldiers, be they Enlisted, Warrant Officers, or Commissioned Officers. Even among these three distinct groups, their training and focus diverge almost immediately. The training of a Military Police officer will differ from that of a Finance clerk. The experience of your average Infantryman will be different from any random Chaplain.

Ask the next adult you come across. You may get an answer like: Defend America! Protect the people of this country! Beat our enemies!

All of these people will be wrong. When you get past the glib slogans and propaganda messages there is really only one stated goal that all Soldiers hold. Just one. It comes from the Oath.

Every Soldier swears to "Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same..."

That's it. The Constitution. It is not a piece of paper. It is the embodiment of every freedom and dream that the United States possesses. Soldiers do not swear to give their life for the country. Soldiers do not give an oath to the protection of the people.

Every Soldier swears to give their life to the very thing that gave us birth. The hope, the dream, the origin, the Constitution.

Ask yourself, if a house is damaged in a storm: Can you rebuild with enough material and time? Your answer is yes. Now ask yourself: If the foundation of a house is damaged, will the house stand the test of time. No. No, it will not.

And so our lives are pledged to the underpinnings of the dream. The foundation of our country will journey through time on our shoulders.