Quotes
“America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.” ~ George W. Bush
In James Michener’s book, The Bridges at Koko-Ri, he writes of an officer waiting through the night for the return of planes to a carrier as dawn is coming on. And he asks, “Where do we find such men?” Well, we find them where we’ve always found them. They are the product of the freest society man has ever known. They make a commitment to the military–make it freely, because the birthright we share as Americans is worth defending. ~Ronald Reagan
It’s not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what’s required. ~Sir Winston Churchill
This extraordinary war in which we are engaged falls heavily upon all classes of people, but most heavily upon the soldier. For it has been said, all that a man hath will he give for his life; and while all contribute of their substance, the soldier puts his life at stake and often yields it up in his country’s cause. The highest mertit, then, is due to the soldier. ~Abraham Lincoln
The soldier above all other people prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. ~Douglas McArthur
Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those who did not return. ~Colin Powell
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. ~Edmund Burke
The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge–and pray God we have not lost it–that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. ~Ronald Reagan
It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle, It takes a hero to be one of those men who go into battle. ~General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
~+~
Memorial Day Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, on this Memorial Day we thank you for those who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country. Be with the families who grieve over the loss of beloved parents, sons, daughters, husbands and wives who went to war and did not return. Comfort them with the knowledge that in Jesus Christ your son, we have victory over death and the promise of a future reunion in heaven. Make us thankful for our nation’s freedoms purchased at so great a price. Amen.
~+~
Easter
Bagdad Blog/Cleveland.com
Posted by Lt. Mike Dovilla, U.S. Navy April 08, 2007 10:00AM
I attended the Good Friday service at Camp Victory chapel and the Easter sunrise service on the al-Faw Palace porch this morning. In the midst of a combat zone in an overwhelmingly non-Christian country, it is a special blessing to be able to worship freely with other believers.
Outside the walls of this forward operating base is a very different world from what we Americans know in the cities, towns, and farmlands of our nation. Here, two sects of Islam engage in a furious battle for the streets of Iraq, some believing so fervently in their cause – or perhaps living lives so devoid of hope – that they are willing to strap explosive vests to their bodies and detonate themselves with the apparent goal of killing as many innocent civilians as possible. Yet so many Iraqis want simply to live the peaceful lives enjoyed by people in countries around the globe, a reality being denied them by relentless insurgents, resistance groups, and foreign fighters.
As we Christians pause today to remember with thanksgiving God’s boundless love and amazing grace, sanctified through Christ’s victory over death, let us also ask the Almighty’s blessing upon this troubled land.
~+~
A Soldier’s Prayer
Holy Father in heaven, as your child, I come to you for divine protection and guidance while I am in the service of my country. By the precious blood of your Son, Jesus, you have bought me as your own. In your Word you have given me the assurance that the very hairs of my head are all numbered. Trusting in your promises and relying upon your grace, I confidently ask you to supply my daily needs, guard me against all danger, deliver me from all harm to body and soul, and protect me from the evil one.
Blessed Jesus, my Savior and brother, let me never forget at what cost you have saved me. May the memory of your perfect life, your bitter suffering and death, and your glorious resurrection, keep me from sin and strengthen my resolve to do what is right. By your grace, forgive my failures, and enable me to follow in your footsteps.
O Holy Spirit, my Counselor, you live with me and are in me. Speak to me daily through the Holy Bible and give me strength and peace. Remind me each day that I am a new creation—loving my enemies and forgiving others when they hurt me. Help me to be obedient to my superiors, considerate of all my fellow soldiers, and a living example of true Christian faith.
O God of my salvation, I am your own precious child, both in time and eternity. May Your Kingdom come. May Your will be done here on earth, as it is in Heaven. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
~+~
How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a weary world.
~~William Shakespeare~~
~+~
America the Beautiful
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife.
Who more than self the country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
Katharine Lee Bates
