When drill instructors constantly shout in our young troops’ faces seven days a week, our basic trainees have an opportunity to temporarily free themselves from the minute-by-minute chaos found in boot camp. A free sanctuary is provided for all basic trainees at least once a week, and that sanctuary can be found in the house of God. No matter one’s denomination, an opportunity exists to embrace a congregation who believes in this mysterious yet powerful and highly controversial phenomenon known as God.
Many troops enter basic training with little to no belief in God. As the saying goes, “there are no atheists in foxholes.” During basic training, even those who don’t necessarily believe in God attend religious services. Sure, they often attend simply to escape the horrors of everyday life in boot camp, but many of those non-believers eventually become followers of God.
Boot camp is all about transitioning oneself. A bunch of motley kids with vast differences in lifestyles transition themselves from individuals to team players. They transition themselves from individuals with little faith to grown men and women with some of the utmost beliefs in God. They transition themselves into America’s best and brightest warriors.
Today, a surge of another transition within our military has come about. This transition does not occur in basic training rather long after our troops enter garrison. The once young and innocent, Drill Instructor fearing, God praising troops, are now faced with a challenge that counters military traditions, customs, and values.
The Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) recently decided to remove the Latin word for God from its office logo. At least thirty-six Congressional law makers opposed this removal and sent letters to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz objecting the act. This is not the first controversial act by the military over God nor will it be the last.
Immediately after the horrific 9-11 attacks by radical Islamists, then, President George W Bush referenced today’s war as a crusade. Many persons were up in arms over his remarks however, very few acknowledge the stark reality that the act of jihad itself is part of an Islamic crusade and whether we like it or not, our military was sent off to defeat our aggressors. President Bush was spot on calling the spade a spade.
Controversy over God in our military is relatively new. The most recent case of controversy took place last week when Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronnie Hawkins, the new head of the Defense Information Systems Agency, referenced God. He opened his presentation with a quote saying, “Always put God first, and stay within His will.” He ended his presentation with, “Always remember God is good — all the time!”
Those that oppose the reference of God in the military seldom come from different religious beliefs. Even those who believe differently have complete understanding that the word God is the English translation for a supreme being. In fact, Judaism refers to seventy-two Divine Names and those believing in the Hindu faith have over one thousand names for God.
Our military is rich with traditions. God is part of those traditions. Regrettably however, the very mention of God is under attack in America including within our Armed Forces. Numerous military e-mail forums exist and those forums utilize moderators. Those who belong to such forums are active duty and retirees. Today, even military forums that are meant to share ideas, provide mentoring, and promote critical thought greatly needed for decision makers faced with current and future threats have been destroyed by America’s political correctness syndrome. Members are oftentimes threatened to be kicked off these forums by mentioning God or religion.
How can warfighters truly understand today’s threat when they can no longer thoroughly discuss God and religion? How will warfighter grasp the sociocultural complexities they face when sent abroad to lands constituting vastly different perspectives towards God? How will decision makers comprehend the devastating infiltration tactics used against the United States today?
In the 50’s, US educational institutions through unique professorship exchange programs allowed enemies of the State to freely enter and begin operations. They came to the US for one purpose–to spread an ideology. Part of that ideology was denouncing God. In the 60’s, Islamists who had true full-fledge Muslim Brotherhood membership did the same thing.
Numbers were small among the infiltration operatives. They served as Mavens, influencing salesmen, who later pushed ideals onto their connectors. Communist and political activist Willi Munzenberg perfected this art of ideological infiltration operations better known as meme warfare.
Today, virtually every US government institution has been infiltrated. The FBI made a mistake allowing Islamic extremist groups infiltrate its organization allowing them to rebuild their Sensitivity Training Program that was never truly a sensitivity program rather a pro-Islam program that failed to acknowledge other religions, races, age, and sex excluding views founded in Islam. Luckily, the FBI is finally trying to do something about this however; the damage has already been done. Sadly, the FBI is not alone though, anti-American groups even infiltrated the NSA, CIA, DIA, etc.
Government officials should be discussing today’s ideological espionage tactic because it’s a new game we must be capable identifying, discussing, and reporting. Unfortunately, few government operatives are trained in today’s unique infiltration and coercive influence operations.
Many world leaders understand that the only way the United States can be taken down is not through violent means rather by socially conditioning the masses. Inside America, today, many persons, including our military leaders, have been socially conditioned believing in our enemy’s ideologies and because of that we are swiftly losing our morals, values, ethics, and traditions which in part constitute the open acknowledgement of God. However, it is up to us to identify the threat, speak openly about this threat, and report the threat so actions can be taken to mitigate it without fear of repercussions. If government employees and our military alike fail in doing this, they will then have failed our nation and the code in which they swore to uphold which ends with the phrase, “So help me God.”
Kerry Patton, a combat service disabled veteran, is a senior analyst for WIKISTRAT and owner of IranWarMonitor.com. He has worked in South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, focusing on intelligence and security and interviewing current and former terrorists, including members of the Taliban. He is the author of Sociocultural Intelligence: The New Discipline of Intelligence Studies and the children’s book American Patriotism. You can follow him on Facebook.