Constitution Day

Today is the 221st anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States, a magnificent document designed to create participatory government amongst imperfect human beings. It is a work of true genius, and its majesty has not been surpassed by any other form of government.

A quick sea-story. In the component of the Navy in which I grew up (Surface Warfare), a young officer--after approximately a year of watchstanding, practical examinations, and other professional tests, would have to sit for a "Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) Board". If he or she passed the board, they would be a qualified SWO and would be permitted to wear the gold breast insignia of the SWO world. It is a big day in the life of a young surface officer, and the commanding officer is the sole arbiter of their fitness.

Early on in my time as CO, I had to administer my first board. Present was the leadership structure of my ship (the XO and a few of the Department Heads), who would assist me by also asking questions of the candidate. I announced that I would save my questions for last, and then proceeded watch the Department Heads and then the XO examine the candidate in turn. This young man was stunningly well-prepared, and it was clear to all that he would pass his board.

When it came time for me to ask my questions, I first asked if he could remember any portion of the commissioning oath he took. This guy was sharp, and he got most of it right...most importantly though, he was aware of our requirement to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic..." This is where it got fun. I posited that if a man had sworn to give his life for a piece of paper, a set of ideas, then surely he knew a few things about that document. For instance, I asked, how many articles are there? Blank look. Is the number of Supreme Court Justices fixed in the Constitution? Blank again. How old must one be to serve in the House of Representatives? Nada. I asked a few more questions and he was equally clueless.

This once confident future surface warrior began quite obviously to become dejected and fearful. Sensing this, I brought the proceeding to a close and asked him to leave the room for our deliberation. The Department Heads were incredulous and laughing. They couldn't believe that I turned a SWO board into a symposium on the Constitution. I repeated to them that which I said in the board...that if you were swearing to give your life for something, you damn sure ought to know what that is.

Each of the others voted to pass the young man, and so I invited him back into the room. Not having voiced my opinion in the deliberations, I could tell that the Department Heads wondered if I were going to fail the guy because of his lack of Constitutional knowledge. Nope, couldn't do that...this kid was too good. I congratulated him and pinned his shiny gold SWO pin on that day.

But the word got out immediately. Not only did future SWO candidates learn their ship, their Navy, the other Services, the Joint World, OSD etc....they read about their Constitution, and they came ready to play. It was one of the best things I did as Captain.