Many prayers these days include a blessing for the soldiers. It really does not matter where the plea for the troops comes in a prayer; it may be in the middle or tacked on to the end, but it sounds something like the following: “Lord bless our troops, and bring them home safely.” Yes, bless the troops, and every one wants each one to come home safely. However, this is a very general prayer. People use the verb “bless” because they really do not know what to say. What does it mean to “bless?” Some people can relate to the soldiers but most cannot. Some know what it is like to be away and under the pressures of combat, but most do not. An unknown soldier has said, “For those who have fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know." Christians with admirable intentions, lift up prayers to the Heavenly Father, knowing the Lord said in Luke 11:9, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Claiming this promise, it is Christians’ hope to aid born-again soldiers in the battles fought and waged by laying their petitions of their heart at the feet of the Lord.
In order to be specific in prayers for the fighting forces, education in what a soldier lives through and thinks is a necessity. The following is what a normal day could be like in a Forward Operating Base outside of Baghdad:
There is no set time for a combat soldier. He could wake-up at 7 AM or 1PM or 2 AM depending on his mission. He may be out of the camp for 8 hours or 3 days. When it is his time to get ready for his mission, he puts on his uniform, after knocking the dust off, laces up his boots, and puts on his Individual Body Armor (IBA) and Kevlar. IBA is a...
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...gives the qualifications for leaders of the church. What an awful shame it would be if soldiers who were in a church leadership position would have to ask to be removed from the office of a deacon, or the position of a Sunday school teacher because of sin in their life in which they could have had the victory over, but failed to make the proper precautions and failed to equip their spiritual life for this type of combat. These fighting Christians need to seek the Lord’s face daily and guard their heart with all diligence in order to be an effective witness to their fellow battle buddies. This will ensure spiritual integrity in doing a church leadership role, if this is what the Lord would have them to do, when they return home. Pray for the spiritual warfare and physical battles these men and women face who sacrifice daily for our country and our way of life.
2) The cause must be just. This is jus ad bellum because you decide if
...ithout the comforts of life, and endure these conditions for months. Most importantly, soldiers must be willing to die for their country.
A time to remember those who died, those who served, and those who carry on.” ~Unknown. Servicemen make sacrifices daily. During 9/11, the Manhattan firefighters were responding to a gas leak when they heard the explosion from one of the twin towers. Policemen and firefighters from all around New York and surrounding areas came to help rescue the victims. They searched through rubbish and raced with time to check the buildings before and after the buildings collapsed. There were clouds of smoke, dust, and debris flying through the streets; blinding the bystanders. Hundreds of servicemen died that day, including military personnel in the Pentagon who were also hit by the hijackers. I had a cousin named Johnnie Doctor Jr who was in the Navy. He was killed in the Pentagon. I never got to know him, but from what I heard he was a great person to be
One of those things is the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A young soldier with a face as solid as steel, hands as strong as iron takes twenty-one steps as he crosses in front of the white tomb. The words etched into the tomb are “Here Rests in Honored Glory An American Soldier But Known To God.” Americans from all walks of life watch, tears clouding the eyes as a young Boy Scout lays a red, white and blue wreath at the foot of the tomb. The soldier stopped and announced that all in attendance were to stand in silence, with their hand laid across their heart. All Veterans or current military personnel were encouraged to salute. I was fascinated by the young family beside me who was visiting from France. As they all placed their hands over their hearts I realized that American soldiers don’t just fight for America, they fight for the world. The patriotism swelled in my already overfilled
While soldiers are away from home, many things might change that they aren’t there for, for example, family problems and disasters. In addition, veterans might come home to a whole different world than when they left, and this already makes their lives more challenging to go with these changes. In addition, soldiers might also come back with physical injuries, like a lost limb, or loss of hearing. As a result, this makes everyday tasks much harder than they actually are. Veterans also might be mentally scarred from war. For example, a mental disorder called post traumatic stress disorder, makes life for the veteran and family much
War is not just about the physical things that soldiers carry on a daily basis. The things they carried are so much more, even though the physical does take up a majority of the weight of a soldier. So many emotional burdens and tolls are to be accounted for when thinking about the units of the military fighting in the war and how they have to deal with them while in the midst of gunfire and hell.
I hope this war doesn’t last long, and that we win. I want Father and all of the other boys to be able to come home safe and victorious.
...ssion. Paul became overwhelmed by being home. The only thing that everyone wanted to talk about was war. No one understood that because Paul dealt with it every single day he did not want to talk about it. His mother was among the people who asked him about war. “Was it very bad out there Paul?” (Pg. 161) Paul simply had no words to even begin to describe his experiences. He lied and told his mother that it was not very bad. While Paul was home he learned that his mother had became ill and that the civilian population was beginning to starve. One day while walking in the streets Paul came across an older gentlemen who happened to be a major. Paul did not recognize him therefore he did not salute. The older gentlemen became outraged by this and forced him to do a march in the street and salute smartly. From this point on he wore civilian clothes when being in public.
Sears, Stephen W. "Onward, Christian Soldier." NY Times. NY Times, 16 Mar. 1997. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. .
That verse alone should be the most inspiring part that all Noncommissioned Officers should love to hear, because it’s true in many ways. The question to ask is, are we driving it in the right direction? There has never been a time in our history when Soldiers needed more competent and strong leaders than today. The social complications that our young Soldiers face are beyond what any generation before them has had to endure and learn and navigate. The military is looking for leaders who can be role models for these Soldiers.
A soldier’s “greatest fear is not death but failure, and the shame that accompanies failure. More than anything else, warriors fear letting themselves down and letting their leaders and friends down at a moment when it matters most. They fear most not losing their lives, but their honor” (Nash, 2007, p. 25).
I have read many articles from outsiders reporting on the Muslim faith. But I have never read an article more incorrect and damaging than the piece done by Robert Holstrom "Muslims or Demons". Robert Holstroms' article details the belittlement and atrocities afflicted towards Islamic women by Muslims. Mr. Holstroms' presents followers of the Islamic religion as militant drug dealers and mercenaries, which perpetrate their ideas while using false Islam, foreign money, and opium to get their way.
... to be the backbone of the Army unless I am willing and able, to do what is right at all times. I must be the standard-bearer. I must be beyond reproach. I must, at all times, conduct myself so as to bring credit upon the corps, the military service, and my country, regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I have recited a creed daily that embodies what makes an NCO. I have lived by that creed and always placed the needs of my soldiers above my own. I have sacrificed in times when I should not have. I have made sure those around me are better off than myself whenever I was able. What I mean with these hollow words, what I hope rings true from the message I am trying to convey, is that I have LIVED with integrity. I have EMBODIED integrity, even when it meant it would harm me; because no one is more professional than I.
While at home the soldier may also find everyday things hard to do such as sleeping. "The soldier will sleep restlessly" (Swofford 12). "After a year or longer of sleeping on the desert floor or a cot, a mattress will feel dangerously comfortable" (Swofford 12). The soldiers are not used to something soft and comfortable to sleep on so when they do have something like this it is very hard for them to function. What would it feel like to be taken away from a comfortable mattress for over a year being forced to lay in the desert or on a cot and then all of a
The American army is a unique and rare opportunity where many nationalities, beliefs, and ideals come together in one place and must unite for a greater cause. This diverse population, which reflects the larger American population, allowed for the government to experiment on the management of religion for the nation. The Army consisted of many different religious views and chaplains were used to facilitate and regulate these religions. During the WWII, the 1940’s, the majority of people in the military were either Protestant, Catholic, or Jew...