An Open Letter to the American Military

May 2004

I bring warming greetings to you, the American Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman and Coast Guardsman:

I speak to you today from our offices in Colorado Springs, Colorado. For over 10 years now, through my westward facing windows, I have been privileged to see some of you soaring in gliders and other small planes, high above the Air Force Academy campus, training for the missions that now put you in harm's way. On a clear day, I can see the famed Cheyenne Mountain, home to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

Further south is situated Fort Carson, home to nearly 20,000 of the bravest fighting men and women on earth. To the east, there is Peterson and Schriever Air Force base, housing Space Command and numerous other branches of the Armed Forces. What an honor it is to share this small swatch of America with you, though for many, this community has served as temporary quarters en route to various theaters of action. Given the significant military presence in our town, I have seen you in our churches, restaurants, parks and other businesses.

Had I still been in uniform, I would have thrown you the snappiest salute this side of the Mississippi. Yet, as a private citizen now, I want you to know how much we appreciate and love you.

You represent the best this nation has to offer. If only time and circumstance would permit it, I'd love nothing more than to meet each of you individually and tell you how thankful I am for your service and sacrifice.

Wherever you serve, at home or abroad, I offer you my greetings and gratitude this Memorial Day, 2004, on behalf of millions of your countrymen.

Since the dawn of our nation's founding, every generation has endured a time of testing.

From the first skirmish at Lexington, to the burning of the White House in 1812, to Teddy Roosevelt's charge up San Juan Hill, to the carnage and human cost of the Civil War to the death and destruction of World War I to the surprise attacks and subsequent liberations of World War II to the wretched winter campaign of Korea to the stalemate in the jungles of Vietnam and to the more recent war against terrorism and tyranny in the Middle East, this nation has been through the types of trials and conflicts that, as Thomas Paine suggested, "try men's souls."

We are also facing our challenges and dangers this very hour.

The cast of characters may change, but the goal of the enemy has always been the same — to take away the freedoms of others who could not defend themselves.

Last month, in an address to the American people, President Bush summed up the significance behind our tireless fight and the source of our liberties by stating, "Freedom is not this country's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty's gift to every man and woman in this world."

You might be familiar with a favorite author of mine who writes on issues related to American military history. The late Stephen Ambrose wrote numerous best sellers, ranging from biographies of Presidents Eisenhower and Nixon to various works related to World War II. In Citizen Solider, Mr. Ambrose spoke eloquently to the noble and pure nature of the American warrior.

All throughout history, he said, conquering soldiers looted, raped, pillaged, plundered and even murdered the people they had subdued. Americans in uniform, however, served as a significant exception.

"Everywhere in the world," wrote Ambrose, "whether in Belgium, the Philippines, Germany, or Japan, the sight of a twelve-man squad of GIs brought joy to people's hearts … the sight of those American kids meant cigarettes, candy, C-rations and freedom. They had come, not to conquer, but to liberate."

In reviewing our past military successes, I hope you take great comfort and encouragement in the character of the company you keep.

The Pentagon reports that there are approximately 1.5 million of you spread from one side of the globe to the other, with nearly 135,000 of these same troops currently battling under the hot desert sun of Iraq.

Our media and politicians regularly quote these numbers rather coldly, but I am keenly aware that behind every single number is a name — and a family for whom the name represents an entire world.

Just prior to the attacks of September 11th, I wrote to our constituency regarding the changing face of our military, and thus, the new challenges that accompany these circumstances. Here is what I said in July of 2001:

Today's military contains many more professionals with specialized skills, many of whom have families. According to the Defense Department, in 1953, only 33 percent of enlisted members were married. When the draft ended in 1973, the figure had risen to 43 percent. Today, 52 percent of active-duty enlisted individuals are married and 71 percent of officers are married. Children are a significant factor, too. Currently, 46 percent of all people on active duty have children.

I went on to acknowledge what you already know: Military life is extremely taxing on families.

Indeed, as many of you came home from the war this past summer, either on leave or as a result of troop rotation, we watched with tear-filled eyes as some of you met newborn babies for the very first time.

Though the cameras captured the joy of reunion, reality suggests that the struggles don't simply end when the soldier arrives safely home.

Money is tight. Patience is thin. A war zone can do cruel things to otherwise happy and adjusted people. Despite the challenges, there is hope to be had.

Over the loudest objections of the ACLU, I urge you to find your strength in the wisdom of the all-wise and all-knowing Almighty! This advice doesn't spring forth from the wisdom of my brow, but from the truths of Scripture and the precedent of your comrades who have gone before you.

Hold tightly to the assurances of God. Hear His promise, articulated so eloquently in the 46th Psalm:

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging" (v. 1-3, NIV).

In just a short while, we will remember another incredible day of American sacrifice — D-Day: June 6, 1944. This year marks the 60th anniversary, and I am told our President will preside over what promises to be an emotional ceremony in France. So it has been in days past.

In 1984, on the 40th anniversary of the landing, President Reagan spoke amidst the windswept cliffs of Normandy. His words hold great relevance for both our nation and your efforts today:

Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief. It was loyalty and love.

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. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.

Something else helped the men of D-Day; their rock-hard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause. And so, the night before the invasion, when Colonel Wolverton asked his parachute troops to kneel with him in prayer, he told them: Do not bow your heads, but look up so you can see God and ask His blessing in what we're about to do. Also, that night, General Matthew Ridgway on his cot, listening in the darkness for the promise God made to Joshua: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee."

These are the things that impelled them; these are the things that shaped the unity of the Allies.

And these are the things that will hold you steady when the world seems to be pulling you apart.

I will leave you with these words: We love you. We are praying for you daily, and you are making us proud in the process.

Your work is not only noble, but it will leave a legacy long after any of us remain here on earth. Please, if you ever find yourself in Colorado Springs, stop by to see us. Every single one of you is an American hero of inestimable worth. May God keep you safe and preserve your families in your absence.

I remain a grateful citizen.

God’s Blessings to you.

Sincerely,

James C. Dobson, Ph.D.
Founder and Chairman