West Point Cadet Oath

The Soldier's Oath taken upon entering the United States Army Cadet Honor Code quotI, your name, do solemnly swear 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

The Cadet Honor Code has been a part of West Point for centuries. It emerged in the 1800's from grass-roots efforts by cadets to establish and enforce a code of honesty in their ranks. It was formalized in the 1920's with the creation of the Cadet Honor Committee. The Cadet Honor Code is run by the cadets themselves. Each year

1 4 Show Caption Hide Caption - New cadets take their oath of allegiance Sunday in Thayer Hall prior to beginning their 47-month journey at West Point. quotI will maintain and defend the

The oath of allegiance binds the cadet to support the Constitution of the United States, to bear true allegiance to the national government, and to obey the orders of officers above them, including the President. The wording, format, and execution of these documents changed numerous times. Major changes occurred during the Civil War period

quotThe day after the firing on Fort Sumter, the United States Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, directed that all United States Military Academy West Point cadets must take a quotnew oath of allegiance.quot Previously, each cadet had taken an quotoath of allegiance to his respective State.quot Now, they were required to quotswear feilty to the United

Cadet Oath Taken on entering West Point as a cadet I . . . do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and bear true allegiance to the National Government that I will maintain and defend the sovereignty of the United States, paramount to any and all allegiance, sovereignty, or fealty I may owe to any state or

Honor Code Monument at West Point. In the United States, a Cadet Honor Code is a system of ethics or code of conduct applying to cadets studying at military academies.These codes exist at the federal service academies, such as the United States Military Academy and the United States Air Force Academy and at the senior military colleges, as well as other military schools and colleges.

New West Point cadets take an oath to support the Constitution. We are West Point graduates ourselves and have been taught, as we now teach, that our oath forms the basis of a nonpartisan ethic

The Cadet Honor Code serves as the foundation of character development at West Point. Every Cadet is trusted not to lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those dishonest behaviors by other cadets. This creates a baseline of honest behavior and a culture that supports character growth. The Cadet Honor Code states, quotA Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.quot Abiding by the Honor

Once the oath is administered, each cadet is expected to live up to the letter and spirit of the code. To set the tone for all cadets to come after them, the first graduating class at the Academy, the Class of 1959, adopted the Honor Code based on the Code at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point- a cadet owned system.