Who are the members of the civil service?

Are Secret Service members obligated to take a bullet for the President?

• Couple of considerations/talking points: (Legally) If a secret service member under conditions which would beyond a reasonable doubt allow him to take a bullet for the president, but he/she did not, can the service member be prosecuted? (Morally) Do secret service members have a moral obligation to take a bullet for the president? (Job requirements) Can a secret service member be terminated from employment if he or she fails to take a bullet for the president? Is taking a bullet explicitly in the job description? Would any of the above change if (a) the president were not hurt, (b) the president were wounded, but recovers, or (c) if the president were killed or rendered unable to fulfill his/her duties as President (i.e. disabled)? Should such an argument be made a priori (independent of the outcome) or a posteriori? Does this apply to any other high level government figures? (i.e. the vice president, the President's family, foreign heads of state, etc...) What are the policies of executive protection agencies from other countries?

• Answer:

  Any person who has joined any military or police force has taken an oath of some sort that presupposes the sacrificing of one's life if called upon to do so. Guarding is a basic function, and whether you've been ordered to guard the President, or an unoccupied building, you know that barring further orders, it's to the death. If you fail your mission, you better have a good explanation. Otherwise it's dereliction of duty and cowardice. So even the greenest Private is morally and legally bound by their oath to take a bullet for something that may be meaningless. That's the life. There are people out here who have made oaths, and taken vows to protect. To take responsibility in physically extreme situations.Taking a bullet is the job description.