The question of moral duplicity often arises in relation to war, particularly when it comes to the end-game. The debacle concerning the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 serving as a prime example. Apart from leaving an untold number of Afghan allies literally hanging, not to mention the lives lost and the trust of our NATO allies, the billions of dollars wasted had a lasting effect on Americans, as the nation was personally invested. Ultimately playing out in direct contradiction to its intended purpose, Accordingly, potential recruits now pause to consider just what they might be getting themselves into?
Yet, while there may remain an undercurrent mistrust regarding force-projection without a logical rationale and a certain degree of confidence regarding a favorable conclusion, America’s faltering legacy reveals a problem that provides a unique opportunity for leadership. As a result, many believed that they would be better served by choosing the path calculated risk and honor rather than remaining shackled to executive incompetence. Not only that, but the very fact that a nation comprised of every race, culture and creed could be fashioned into a singular people is not only worth celebrating, but defending. Yet in going a step further, when we also take into consideration the select few within our military that have closed ranks to uphold and defend those very principles, they have become not unlike the advance guard of the Lord’s host itself, preparing the way for the main event. A scenario which has a biblical foundation, for – “…From the days of John the Baptist there has been war in Heaven, while on earth the Kingdom advances, albeit violently, as violent men lay hold of it. (Mat. 11:12)
And yet, while it may be said that ‘the best defense is a good offense,’ many of our military personnel return home only to find increasing divisions and indecisiveness concerning the future of our country. The question arises, how then can hard men stand idle when necessity demands an appropriate response? In response, it was probably Churchill who said it best: “We shall fight them on the beaches and on the landing grounds; we shall fight them in the fields, we shall fight them in the streets and in the hills; we shall never surrender!”
And, although the Hydra has many heads, its nature hasn’t changed. Its origins are of the Pit, and the agent of chaos is the false pretender and not the natural heir. And, while God may have brought us home, it was not for nothing that we survived. And so stand, and with a sword in one hand and a plowshare in the other, defend this ‘land of the free and home of the brave’ until the winnowing begins.
CoupStick Chaplain 