President Obama Asking Military Leaders if They Will Fire on U.S. Citizens– Unproven!
Summary of eRumor:
This is a forwarded email that contains an article that said noted author and humanitarian, Dr. Jim Garrow, has revealed that President Obama is using a new litmus test for his military leaders. The article said that President Obama is asking if they will follow orders and fire on US citizens. Garrow posted this allegation on his Facebook page and it has gone viral.
The Truth:
Dr. Garrow told TruthOrFiction.Com that he did post this information on his Facebook page, which was passed on to him by an anonymous source. Garrow’s unnamed source is a legend in the U.S. Military who had heard this second hand from a friend, another military officer, who he recruited. This according to an interview with Garrow on WDTV, which was posted on YouTube on January 23, 2012.
A clipping from The Examiner about this story was found posted on his profile page.
This is not the first time that such a rumor has gone into circulation. We found a similar rumor of a President testing the allegiance of his military leaders in 2003 posted on a Yahoo group, which actually originated in 1995 from a Twenty Nine Palms Survey found posted on a website called, “Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership.”
When the members of the U.S. Military join or earn their commissions an oath is administered to them. The enlisted swear to obey the President but there is no such mention of this in the oath administered to the Officers.
The oath that is administered to enlisted:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) 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.
The oath administered to new Officers:
I 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; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.
We have contacted the Department of Defense and are hoping to hear back from them soon.
updated 01/24./13