We the Family

The writers of the Constitution
Never would have thought
The family institution
We'd turn our own backs on

What could be more stable
Than the family and the home
Where children grow up able
To self govern and raise their own

The family can promote
"The general welfare"
By being home to note
Who is in need of care

As in the day to day
Parents "establish justice"
Reeinforcing always
The light for good within us

Being known to honor
and "pursue happiness"
Each takes their place as patriots
"To provide for the common defense"

The family, being moral
"Secures the blessings of liberty"
Wanting "a more perfect union for all"
Ought we not protect the family?

The generations past
Knew how to sacrifice
Perhaps to them our eyes should cast
For they know freedom's price

Our country is being torn
In half by divorce,
By entitlements we've formed,
And the way our courts discourse

A return to the family
To the bonds we have known
Will help us pursue happily
Liberty- home grown

"We the Family"
Makes a nation strong
Through matrimony
With commitments made lifelong

"We the Families"
by Tom Christensen
United Families International
May 10, 2011

We the Family

We the family
Under God above
Represent happily
This nation that we love

We raise up children who-
Have been morally taught
Who- work, serve, and do
And say thank you- a lot

Our Founding Fathers

Our founding fathers
Never would have thought
Their sons and their daughters
Would turn their backs on God

How else did they win
This land that we love
But by enduring the grim
With faith in God above

What else could principle
A constitution of light
That could unite all the people
And define inalienable rights

The Constitution Should Not be Misconstrued

The Constitution should not be used
As a weapon to end debate
Especially when proposals abuse
The guarantees given to each state

For who is closer to the people
Who've sovereignty to embrace
Than the local government, pure and simple
Righting the issues that they face

And above all, may religious freedom reign
To promote righteousness and civic virtue
That faith in America not wain
For the good that it can do

Let us each express gratitude
To God for life and liberty
Then lest our laws be misconstrued
Let us work to balance them properly

“Fundamentals of Our Constitutions” - Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Utah’s Constitution Day Celebration

Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Utah

I Do Solemnly Swear

I cried for Adam today
My tears a long downpour
Not in the old familiar way
But for what he stood for

Under God, as man of his word
He kept his solemn oath
The extended call, he heard
Though he'd done the time he owed

With but one small reserve-
A short weekend honeymoon
Again he stood to serve
Then...fallen, he died all too soon

In support of the Constitution
He defended it to his death
With courage his contribution
As a hero he took his last breath

I have been studying the constitution's birth- seeing the sacrifices and the inspiration in it. I was hit with emotion when I learned what I guess I'd forgotten-the oath is in support and defense of the Constitution.


The wordings of the current oath of enlistment and oath for commissioned officers are as follows:

"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. 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).

"I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) 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.)

Army Sgt. Adam W. Estep
Died April 29, 2004 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom

23, of Campbell, Calif.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed April 29 when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his patrol in Baghdad.California soldier killed in Iraq ‘never showed fear’

Associated Press
Army Sgt. Adam W. Estep - Honor the Fallen - MilitaryTimes.com
SARATOGA, Calif. — Sgt. Adam Estep was remembered Tuesday by friends and family as a soldier who never showed fear, even in the most violent battles.

Estep, a 23-year-old tank driver, died April 29 in a rocket-propelled grenade attack outside Baghdad.

“Every day he touched lives in ways that cannot be erased,” friend and Marine Sgt. Jason Steele said at the funeral. “We should all aspire to be like him. You all must rejoice in the memories we have of him and know that he will always be with you.”

Estep, who was active in ROTC in high school in San Jose, joined the Army in 2000 and drove tanks for the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment and 1st Cavalry Division.

He had been stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and served a six-month tour in Kuwait. In December, the Army extended his commitment for 14 months. He left for Iraq in March.

His wife of two months, Demara Estep, said her husband longed to attend college and start a family. He lined his letters with sophisticated sketches.