Lest We Forget

[DazzleRazzle]

LOVE & PEACE IN 2011



I AM HONOURED TO DO THIS



I AM HONOURED TO DO THIS!!
Did you know that the ACLU has filed a suit to have all military cross-shaped headstones removed.



And another suit to end prayer from the military completely. They're making great progress. The Navy Chaplains can no longer mention Jesus' name in prayer thanks to the wretched ACLU and our new administration.





Let us pray...


Prayer for our Military.




Prayer for our soldiers
Prayer:

'Lord Jesus, hold our troops in your loving hands Protect them as they protect us bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'

These Colours Don't Run


Prayer Request: When you see this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troops around the world.
Of all the gifts you could give a Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Pilots, & others deployed in harm's way, prayer is the very best one.
They died for us! Can't we at least Stand Up for them??!!

[Born_again]

Do you have any prayers from other religious denominations for our troops that are not Christian, DazzleRazzle? I just thought it would be nice gesture from you to them as well, seeing that they are serving our country as well.

[fluffy]

I guess I'm not up to speed on the intricacies of the whole "Thou shalt not kill" thing, there are a few "gray" areas eh?

[grammafreddy]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aclu

[Occam]

I guess that some people see Remembrance Day attendance etc. as a means of repaying a debt to the fallen. Of course it doesn't affect the dead at all... but when we're kids it is sometimes presented to us this way, so that we attend from a sense of guilt if for no other reason.

Remembrance Day is held on the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the end of WWI. We have associated the war dead from other wars with this anniversary, so as to pay respects to the dead of all wars at once. Whereas other wars (particularly WWII) are seen as worthwhile, WWI was generally regarded as pointless by those who participated; 'never again' was seen as the appropriate sentiment. Remembering the 'war to end all wars' was about maintaining an awareness that we shouldn't do such silly things again. WWII is generally seen as a 'just' war, one which we (the allies) ought to have participated in. By mixing the remembrance of the two (and others) together we have confused the message, and people who participate in pointless wasting of lives are at the same time held up as examples of 'fighting for good'. We ought to be feeling sorry for those who died the way we feel sorry for someone who dies in a car wreck. We don't use those who die in a car wreck as an example for our kids, rather it is something to be avoided. When we mix it up further, and add in those who have died in currently continuing wars that we as nations are encouraging people to go to it's pretty sick, really. There's an implication that those who go to kill and die now are somehow continuing the fight against Hitler (fighting for freedom lest they drop the ball our grandfathers carried), as opposed to volunteering for a car wreck. In this way Remembrance Day encourages the living to emulate the dead, and the current lack of a threat truly equal to that of the Third Reich makes such encouragement a negative thing. It serves to make it easier to continue unjust wars, and easier to start them, too.

I'd like to note that although I can't argue against war being inevitable, I don't agree that wars are unavoidable. Car wrecks are inevitable if seen as a worldwide statistical thing, yet as individual events the majority truly can be prevented, and we're obliged to try.

Can the soldiers currently fighting truly be said to be serving our nation? Isn't 'the nation' really the people of the nation? I don't think they're serving the land itself, they must be serving the politicians or the people. If the politicians aren't truly representative of the people, then the soldiers ought not to serve them (the politicians). That's why soldiers declare allegiance to countries rather than to political figures, and that's why such a big deal is made of the soldiers of Nazi Germany swearing allegiance to Hitler himself rather than to the country.

Honouring our war dead in the face of the relevant moral issues is a pretty confused thing. Being a sheep isn't confusing, thinking for yourself often is.

[DazzleRazzle]

Do you have any prayers from other religious denominations for our troops that are not Christian, DazzleRazzle? I just thought it would be nice gesture from you to them as well, seeing that they are serving our country as well.

This collection of Memorial Day prayers offers a selection of Christian prayers for our military families, our troops, and our nation.

Dear Heavenly Father,

As we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy every day, we think of how they have followed in the footsteps of your son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Please hold our servicemen and women in your strong arms. Cover them with your sheltering grace and your presence as they stand in the gap for our protection.

We also remember the families of our troops. We ask for your unique blessings to fill their homes, and we pray your peace, provision, and strength will fill their lives.

May the members of our armed forces be supplied with courage to face each day and may they trust in the Lord's mighty power to accomplish each task. Let our military brothers and sisters feel our love and support.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Eternal God,
Creator of years, of centuries,
Lord of whatever is beyond time,
Maker of all species and master of all history --
How shall we speak to you from our smallness and inconsequence?
Except that you have called us to worship you in spirit and in truth;
You have dignified us with loves and loyalties;
You have lifted us up with your lovingkindnesses.
Therefore we are bold to come before you without groveling
[though we sometimes feel that low] and without fear [though we are often anxious].
We sing with spirit and pray with courage because you have dignified us;
You have redeemed us from the aimlessness of things' going meaninglessly well.
God, lift the hearts of those for whom this holiday is not just diversion, but painful memory and continued deprivation.
Bless those whose dear ones have died needlessly, wastefully [as it seems] in accident or misadventure.
We remember with compassion those who have died serving their countries in the futility of combat.
There is none of us but must come to bereavement and separation,when all the answers we are offered fail the question death asks of each of us.
We believe that you will provide for us as others have been provided with the fulfillment of "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."



"We show our thankfulness in prayer This honor you deserve Giving all for freedom's call That we may live without reserve."
"Lord, protect us each and everyone Inspire us to peaceful be On this planet we call home For all the world's our family."


"Bless those who serve beneath the deep,
Through lonely hours their vigil keep.
May peace their mission ever be,
Protect each one we ask of thee.
Bless those at home who wait and pray,
For their return by night and day."

Rev. Gale Williamson (date Unk)

"Lord God, our power evermore,
Whose arm doth reach the ocean floor,
Dive with our men beneath the sea;
Traverse the depths protectively.
O hear us when we pray, and keep
Them safe from peril in the deep."

David B. Miller (1965)

(Other known verses of the Navy Hymn)

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;
Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air!

Mary C. D. Hamilton (1915)

Eternal Father, grant, we pray,
To all Marines, both night and day,
The courage, honor, strength, and skill
Their land to serve, thy law fulfill;
Be thou the shield forevermore
From every peril to the Corps.

J. E. Seim (1966)

Lord, stand beside the men who build,
And give them courage, strength, and skill.
O grant them peace of heart and mind,
And comfort loved ones left behind.
Lord, hear our prayers for all Seabees,
Where'er they be on land or sea.

R. J. Dietrich (1960)

O God, protect the women who,
In service, faith in thee renew;
O guide devoted hands of skill
And bless their work within thy will;
Inspire their lives that they may be
Examples fair on land and sea.

Lines 1-4, Merle E. Strickland (1972) and
adapted by James D. Shannon (1973)
Lines 5-6, Beatrice M. Truitt (1948)

Creator, Father, who dost show
Thy splendor in the ice and snow,
Bless those who toil in summer light
And through the cold antarctic night,
As they thy frozen wonders learn;
Bless those who wait for their return.

L. E. Vogel (1965)

Eternal Father, Lord of hosts,
Watch o'er the men who guard our coasts.
Protect them from the raging seas
And give them light and life and peace.
Grant them from thy great throne above
The shield and shelter of thy love.

Author unknown

Eternal Father, King of birth,
Who didst create the heaven and earth,
And bid the planets and the sun
Their own appointed orbits run;
O hear us when we seek thy grace
From those who soar through outer space.

J. E. Volonte (1961)

Creator, Father, who first breathed
In us the life that we received,
By power of thy breath restore
The ill, and men with wounds of war.
Bless those who give their healing care,
That life and laughter all may share
.

Galen H. Meyer (1969)
Adapted by James D. Shannon (1970)

God, Who dost still the restless foam,
Protect the ones we love at home.
Provide that they should always be
By thine own grace both safe and free.
O Father, hear us when we pray
For those we love so far away.

Hugh Taylor (date Unk)

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
And those who on the ocean ply;
Be with our troops upon the land,
And all who for their country stand:
Be with these guardians day and night
And may their trust be in thy might.

Author Unknown (1955)

O Father, King of earth and sea,
We dedicate this ship to thee.
In faith we send her on her way;
In faith to thee we humbly pray:
O hear from heaven our sailor's cry
And watch and guard her from on high!

Author/date Unknown

And when at length her course is run,
Her work for home and country done,
Of all the souls that in her sailed
Let not one life in thee have failed;
But hear from heaven our sailor's cry,
And grant eternal life on high!

Author/date Unknown

[5VP]

I guess I'm not up to speed on the intricacies of the whole "Thou shalt not kill" thing, there are a few "gray" areas eh?

That rule applies more to murder.

I was an infantryman with the PPCLI.

We worked on the 11th Commandment...

"There are no rules; thou shalt win at all costs..."

If you witnessed a murder about to take place and you had a weapon to take out the murderer and save an innocent life, would you?

RIP brothers...

[cliffy1]

I guess that some people see Remembrance Day attendance etc. as a means of repaying a debt to the fallen. Of course it doesn't affect the dead at all... but when we're kids it is sometimes presented to us this way, so that we attend from a sense of guilt if for no other reason.
Quote trimmed

Very well thought out post. Thanks

Afghanistan and Libya were not about humanitarian efforts, they were about supporting corporate greed. I feel sorry fr those who died fighting a lie. They did not fight for our freedom or our way of life. And that is a crying shame.