Title 32, National GuardRelease 119-102
§312 Appointment Oath
Title 32 › CHAPTER 3 — PERSONNEL › § 312
Summary
When someone is made an officer in the National Guard, they must swear or affirm an oath. They promise to uphold and protect the U.S. Constitution and their State Constitution, be loyal to them, and obey lawful orders from the President and their State Governor. They must give the promise freely with no secret reservations and agree to do the work of their specific National Guard office faithfully. The oath ends with the traditional phrase “so help me God.”
Full Legal Text
Title 32, §312
National Guard, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Each person who is appointed as an officer of the National Guard shall subscribe to the following oath: “I, ______, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of ______ against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and of the Governor of the State of ______, that I make this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office of ____ in the National Guard of the State of ______ upon which I am about to enter, so help me God.”
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 31232:112.
June 3, 1916, ch. 134, § 73 (1st par.); restated
June 15, 1933, ch. 87, § 11 (1st par.), 48 Stat. 157;
July 9, 1952, ch. 608, § 806(c), 66 Stat. 507. The words “Each person who is appointed as an” are inserted for clarity.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
32 U.S.C. § 312
Title 32, National Guard
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102