MEPS Enlistment and Oath Ceremony 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How many times does the word 'faithfully' appear in the Oath of Enlistment?
- Once (Correct answer)
- Twice
- Three times
- It does not appear
Correct answer: Once
The word 'faithfully' appears once in the oath: 'I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office...' — wait, enlisted oath says 'faithfully execute' — it appears once in the enlisted version.
Question 2: Which phrase in the Oath of Enlistment directly references the U.S. Constitution?
- 'I will bear true faith and allegiance'
- 'Support and defend the Constitution of the United States' (Correct answer)
- 'Obey the orders of the President'
- 'Faithfully discharge the duties'
Correct answer: 'Support and defend the Constitution of the United States'
The oath explicitly states the enlistee will 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.'
Question 3: A family member attending the oath ceremony at MEPS may:
- Participate in the oath-taking alongside the enlistee
- Take photographs after the ceremony is complete (Correct answer)
- Request a private ceremony room at any time
- Administer a secondary oath for their records
Correct answer: Take photographs after the ceremony is complete
Family members are welcome to attend and typically may photograph the ceremony, especially after the formal oath is administered.
Question 4: The phrase 'against all enemies, foreign and domestic' in the enlistment oath means the service member commits to defending against:
- Only foreign military threats
- Only internal civilian uprisings
- Both external adversaries and threats from within the United States (Correct answer)
- Enemies identified by Congress only
Correct answer: Both external adversaries and threats from within the United States
The phrase explicitly covers both foreign adversaries and domestic threats to the Constitution and the nation.
Question 5: When an enlistee takes the Oath of Enlistment, to whom do they swear obedience to 'orders'?
- The Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- The President of the United States and officers appointed over them (Correct answer)
- The commanding general of their branch only
- Congress as the supreme military authority
Correct answer: The President of the United States and officers appointed over them
The oath pledges to obey 'the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me.'
Question 6: What is the primary legal effect of taking the Oath of Enlistment?
- It grants the enlistee full veteran benefits immediately
- It legally binds the individual to military service under the UCMJ (Correct answer)
- It transfers state citizenship to federal jurisdiction permanently
- It voids all prior civilian contracts the enlistee has signed
Correct answer: It legally binds the individual to military service under the UCMJ
Taking the oath brings the individual under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and creates a legally binding obligation to serve.
Question 7: If an enlistee has a name that is difficult to pronounce, the administering officer will typically:
- Skip that enlistee's individual portion of the ceremony
- Read the full name aloud and have the enlistee confirm it on DD Form 4 (Correct answer)
- Use only the enlistee's last four digits of SSN for identification
- Have the MEPS commander pronounce it for the record
Correct answer: Read the full name aloud and have the enlistee confirm it on DD Form 4
Identity is confirmed through the signed DD Form 4 and verbal confirmation, ensuring accuracy in official records.
MEPS Enlistment and Oath Ceremony 3
How many times does the word 'faithfully' appear in the Oath of Enlistment?