Michael Robert Adams

West Point, 2002

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by David R. Graham on March 28, 2004:

On the day he entered the United States Army as a New Cadet at the United States Military Academy, Michael Robert Adams swore this Oath of Enlistment on the Plain at West Point: "I, Michael Robert Adams, 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 States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962). On the day he graduated at West Point, Michael swore this Oath of Office at his Commissioning Ceremony: "I, Michael Robert Adams, having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of Second Lieutenant, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God." (DA Form 71, 1 August 1959, for officers.) 1LT Michael Adams wanted to be and indeed was from birth a soldier. To understand Michael and his destiny, his call, eagerly accepted, to soldiering must be taken as the governing guidance of his life. A soldier is a person called to practice the Profession of Arms. Soldiering is a professional calling, comparable to the professional callings of theology, teaching, medicine and law. A soldier is a warrior who lives by the Code of Warriors. The Code of Warriors articulates, in terms of art, the values, mission and conduct that comprise the Profession of Arms. 1LT Michael Adams embodied the Code of Warriors. He was an Officer of the Line of the United States Army. The highest honor an Officer can earn is to die while leading their troops. Michael died in a combat zone leading his troops. Michael?s death in Iraq, therefore, was a fulfillment, not an accident. He died exactly where he wanted to be, doing exactly what he wanted to be doing, in plenary fulfillment of his nature and of the Code of Warriors. Michael Robert Adams accomplished his destiny in the Profession of Arms. It is said that the number and the fervency of tears shed at the passing of a man indicate his degree of greatness. By this measure, Michael was a great man indeed. Over 300 people attended the Memorial Service for Michael at Icicle River Middle School, Leavenworth, Washington, on Friday 26 March 2004. Leavenworth is up in the Cascade Mountains, at a distance from population centers. Notice was short and weather was unstable. Yet Active, Reserve, Retired and former Officers and Enlisted Personnel from several Military Services, a large contingent from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, West Point Graduates together with friends, relatives and sympathizers from across Washington State and our Nation wanted to be present with Michael's parents and sister, to honor him and them, and to assure them of the unconditional love in which he and they are held. It was a beautiful Memorial Service, surcharged with the spirit of a great man and the sweet devotion of his family and so very many friends and sympathizers. All present and many more as well will remember this Soldier who accomplished his mission in Iraq, fulfilled his Oath of Office and exemplified for all to reverence the Code of Warriors. Thank you Michael Dear, thank you! Now may you rest in the Peace you earned and may Light Perpetual shine upon you! David

admin