As it was told to me, the part about swearing the oath to the constitution comes before the President, and it is understood by all service-members that said wor

As it was told to me, the part about swearing the oath to the constitution comes before the President, and it is understood by all service-members that said word order very much matters. In that, if the President gives an unconstitutional order, your honor demands that you follow the constitution. Also, that '(or affirm)' bit is interesting too. It's there because some religions prohibit swearing, most notably in US history, the Quakers. In fact, a few Quaker presidents have refused to swear during inaugurations and have chosen to affirm instead, I think.