November 11 is Veterans Day and with it comes the annual recognition of the men and women who have worn the uniform. We say ‘thank you for your service,’ when we see them, sometimes in earnest, sometimes reflexively, because many of us aren’t sure what else to say.
What it means to be a veteran varies widely, depending on when and how they served. You might meet one who was in combat and survived the bloody horrors of it. You might meet a supply sergeant who served at a warehouse in North Carolina. The military needs both. Both are essential to a properly functioning military, and both deserve recognition for what they did.
While there is a wide spectrum of military experiences among veterans, there is one thing that ties almost all of them together: God. According to the legal organization First Liberty, more than 90% of American veterans “are religious,” based on an internal report by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Similarly, about 73% of active duty troops subscribe to a faith, according to a 2019 study by the Congressional Research Service.
There’s an old saying that ‘there are no atheists in foxholes.’ As a simple aphorism it’s not entirely true nor is it meant to be, but it’s mostly true. That same CRS survey found that about 3% of active duty personnel identify as atheist or agnostic, and they too deserve thanks and appreciation on Veterans Day.
These data raise an interesting question. What is it about military service that correlates with more than nine out of 10 men and women believing in God? Common sense and a cursory understanding of human nature suggest that people fearing for their life, as may happen during the course of military service, might pray for deliverance. One need not enlist in the military to be acquainted with such an urge; plenty of civilians have been scared enough to pray.
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My naval service during the Cold War wasn’t particularly harrowing and I never clasped my hands in prayer for deliverance during any specific situation. There were a couple episodes that involved shipboard fires that were pretty scary but in those moments, my reflexive response was not to pray. Our training kicked-in, almost automatically, and we put out the fires. However, after the fires were out and we’d walked away from them, alive and well if not filthy and drenched, my reflexive response was to fervently thank God, once while weeping profusely. Sometimes, deliverance comes without asking for it.
Conversely, some people witnessing the ravages of war might question the very existence of God himself, asking how a loving God could permit such carnage. It’s a visceral and reasonable reaction, though it neglects the fact that war is waged not by God but by man. God does not “allow” war as much as sinful men with free will initiate it, a widely held construct in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
But there is a specific point of commonality between faith in God and military service, and it’s not a small thing. Both involve a belief in something bigger than ourselves. Just as enlistees volunteer to serve a cause greater than themselves - their country - Christians also serve a greater cause. The fact that there are hardly any atheists in foxholes might simply be a reflection of the faith held by military personnel before signing up, rather than being on the receiving end of a barrage of bombs or bullets.
A lot of veterans don’t necessarily define themselves as such. Military service is certainly part of who they are but many primarily define themselves as something else; a husband or wife, a parent, a Christian, Jew or believer of another faith. But regardless of whether a veteran defines themself by their military service, it leaves an indelible mark on them. My modest proposal is to ask them about that.
It’s fine to thank a veteran for their service on Veterans Day and the days leading up to it. It’s a very nice thing to do. But consider taking it a step further. Ask them about their most memorable buddy or to tell a funny story from their time in uniform. Ask them how they changed over the years between taking their oath and receiving their discharge, or what they got out of military service. Ask them if there was ever a time that their faith sustained them. You may be surprised and delighted by what they tell you.
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