In the United States Navy when you swear in you hold up your right hand and say the Sailor’s Creed.

You say,

I am a United States Sailor.

I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and I will obey the orders of those appointed over me.

I represent the fighting spirit of the Navy and those who have gone before me to defend freedom and democracy around the world.

I proudly serve my country’s Navy combat team with Honor, Courage, and Commitment.

I am committed to excellence and the fair treatment of all.

When you first make this oath as a new Sailor, you have no idea the depth of the words you are uttering.

“I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and I will obey the orders of those appointed over me.”

Many people given the history of the Constitution and the meaning of it for so many people would not blindly serve a country that has historically NOT treated everyone equally. However, the next part is the one that many Sailors endure during their times of service.

“..and I will obey the orders of those appointed over me.”

This sentence alone has taught me so much about myself and my ability to look past things I don’t agree with, and people I don’t agree with for a common good. It taught me to see the humanity in those different than myself, but more importantly to me to see the humanity in my children especially when they make mistakes, throw fits when they are repeatedly the reason I am late to work because someone lost a shoe, or doesn’t want to wear their jacket.

When you become a Sailor you are taught to explicitly follow orders given as your life and the lives of others depend on it. This is something in my mothering to my oldest son, I stress to him every day. As a parent, I am constantly reiterating the importance of listening, thinking, processing information, and asking questions as this is an important skill not only emotionally but intellectually as well. Dually I have taught him that there are times when following directions even if he doesn’t understand why a trusted adult has asked him to do so may one day be a life-or-death situation. The fact that we live in a country where in the last 10 years there have been 180 school shootings and 356 victims (Walker, 2019). Following the directions of a teacher nowadays can one day be a life-or-death situation for any one of my children. So I constantly teach my kids the importance of learning to read the room, and when it is important to follow “orders” aka directions.

The other part of the Sailor’s creed is “I proudly serve my country’s Navy combat team with Honor, Courage, and Commitment.

Honor and Courage come in many forms but commitment is something that is lost on a lot of people. Commitment is conditional for some people. Being a Sailor, commitment is unconditional, and that is a skill that has never left me.

Commitment is loving your spouse for who they are not who you want them to be. Commitment is loving your kids when they are kicking you in the literal uterus (and I don’t mean while you are pregnant, my 2-year-old kicks when I am changing his diaper). Commitment is the extra 15-minutes before bedtime to read ONE more story, or 1 more cup of milk from a thirsty kid even though you know they aren’t actually thirsty. Commitment is the daily grind of motherhood that is mentally and physically exhausting yet we refuse to give up because our little ones are always watching, and loving us even when WE aren’t our best. Commitment is rushing home from work for practices, sick kids, quick stops at the grocery store even we may have forgotten to eat that day.

The last part of the Sailor’s creed is probably my favorite.

” I am committed to the excellence and fair treatment of all.”

Again you see the word commit.

When I look back on my time in the Navy I am grateful not because of what I did, but because of who the Navy shaped me to be. I am a mother who is committed to giving 110% to my kids, I am committed to giving them the excellence, love, emotional bond, and support they deserve.

Being a Sailor taught me the importance of being committed to something larger than myself.  Being a Sailor prepared me for the toughness and grit required to be a mother and for that I am eternally grateful.

Works Cited:

Walker, Christina. “10 Years. 180 School Shootings. 356 Victims.” CNN.COM, 24 July 2019, https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/07/us/ten-years-of-school-shootings-trnd/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2022.