The earlier cadet oath

Retained ceremonial edition · superseded 2956

This is the earlier public ceremonial text, retained after the adoption of the revised 2956 induction. It is not the current oath or a statement of present examination rules.

Retained text

I stand before the stars and those who came before me, and I swear this oath of my own will. I will pursue excellence not for glory, but because mediocrity is a debt the frontier cannot afford. I will hold discipline not as a burden, but as the architecture upon which trust is built. I will serve not for recognition, but because service is the highest expression of capability. I will earn my place through merit alone, claiming no rank I have not proven worthy of. I will not lie. I will not cheat. I will not steal. I will not look away when others do. Where there is darkness, I will carry the light. Where there is silence, I will speak the truth. Where there is doubt, I will act. This I swear—by the law of the stars, by the name I carry, and by the name I will earn.

Status of this copy

The wording is retained for comparison with the revised induction text. It does not override the Academy Ordinance, grant command authority or define a failure quota. The collection does not claim that every earlier ceremony used precisely this reading.