“I will not take my own life by my own hand until I talk to my battle buddy first. My mission is to find a mission to help my warfighter family.”
The Spartan Pledge
What This Is
The Spartan Pledge is not a promise to never struggle. It is a battle drill - a decision made in advance, so the worst moment doesn't get to make it for you. Warfighters train this way for a reason: when everything goes wrong, you don't improvise. You execute the plan you already made.
The pledge sets one plan: before you act on the worst thought, you talk to your battle buddy. That's the whole drill. It works because it is simple enough to run when nothing else in your head is working.
Why It Doesn't Say “Never”
People ask why the pledge doesn't say “I will never take my own life.” Because in the darkest state of mind, “never” is a promise nobody can make. The pledge asks for something a person in that state can actually do: make one call first. Boone was blunt about what that call does - it breaks the tunnel vision. The moment somebody else is on the line, the math changes.
“Before you do that, call me. Do not leave me on this planet wondering what the hell happened.”
You Take It for Somebody Else
You don't take the Spartan Pledge because you're having a bad day. You take it because somebody you care about might have one - and you're telling them, ahead of time, that you're the call they make. Both directions. Your battle buddy is anybody who is willing to save your life. That includes the people who never wore a uniform.
The Battle Drill
Two is one and one is none. A warfighter without a battle buddy has nobody to call when the distortion hits - the voice that says the world would be better without you. The drill answers that voice with three steps:
- 1
Name it. That thought is a distortion. It is a lie, every time.
- 2
Execute. Battle drill, go - get your battle buddy on the phone. Not a text. Not a voicemail. Talk.
- 3
Hold the second line. Find a mission to help your warfighter family. A warfighter with a mission is a deadly warfighter.
Where the Pledge Has Reached
The pledge left the street and walked onto federal ground: two Spartan Pledge days at the Reno VA, veterans laying hands on the Spartan Sword on VA property - a sword forged from steel recovered from the World Trade Center.
Take the Spartan Pledge
Take the Spartan Pledge today. Name your battle buddy. Tell them you did it - that phone call is the drill working for the first time.
Warfighters across the country have taken it.
Record Your Pledge. Send It to a Battle Buddy.
Stand on camera. Say the pledge. Upload it here. We review every submission before it goes anywhere public - this isn't an open feed.
In Crisis Right Now?
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Share the Pledge
Challenge Your Battle Buddy
The Spartan Pledge isn't just about you. It's about building a culture where warriors protect each other. Send this pledge to someone you know - a veteran, an active duty soldier, a first responder, or anyone serving a higher mission.
Don't let them fight alone.