More than 100 young men and women raised their right hands and formally entered the U.S. armed forces during the annual Oath of Enlistment Ceremony at Battleship Memorial Park, held virtually for the first time in the event’s history amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A tradition adapted
The ceremony, normally staged before a large crowd inside the park’s aircraft pavilion on Mobile Bay, moved online in 2021, with recruits taking the oath of enlistment over Facebook Live. Veterans advocate Dr. Barry Booth, who helps organize the event, said approximately 125 recruits were sworn in during the broadcast. It marked the fifth year for the ceremony and the first time it was held entirely online; the last in-person edition took place in 2019.
The oath of enlistment is the binding promise required of every person entering the U.S. military, taken as they begin careers across the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Space Force. For many new recruits across the Gulf Coast, the Mobile ceremony serves as their formal introduction to military service.
A fitting backdrop
Battleship Memorial Park, home to the World War II battleship USS Alabama along the Mobile Bay waterfront, has long served as a gathering place for patriotic observances honoring service members. Organizers noted that holding the oath ceremony against that backdrop — even remotely — carried added meaning for families watching from home during a year when public gatherings were restricted.