military – Page 2 – SemperVerus

D-Day June 6, 1944: The Bible and Prayer of WWII

During World War II, troops were given a pocket Bible, which included a letter from US President Franklin Roosevelt encouraging them to read it. The letter reads:

To the Armed Forces:
As Commander-in-Chief, I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the armed forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries men of many faiths and diverse origins have found in the Sacred Book words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration. It is a fountain of strength and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul.
Very sincerely yours,
Franklin D. Roosevelt.

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D-Day came Tuesday, June 6, 1944, when Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy. According to the US National Archives:

Lessons in Leadership from a Squadron Janitor

William Crawford, a Medal of Honor recipient for his heroic actions during World War II, retired from the Army and worked as a janitor at the US Air Force Academy so that he could remain close to the military.

This article by Colonel James E. Moschgat, United States Air Force, (Ret.) on the Officers’ Christian Fellowship website offers 10 lessons learned from the experience of this humble hero:

By semperverus
Posted on 06/02/202506/04/2025

US Military Hymns

Each US military branch has a dedicated hymn to inspire singers to lift their voices in praise to God, honoring him as the creator of life and liberty:

The US Air Force Hymn (Lord, Guard and Guide the Men Who Fly)
The US Army Hymn (Eternal Father, Hear Our Prayer)
The US Coast Guard Hymn (Ruler of Land and Sea)
The US Marine Corps Hymn (Serving for Thee)
The US Navy Hymn (Eternal Father, Strong to Save)
The US Space Force Hymn (Creator of the Universe).

[ Read the SemperVerus article, US Military Academy Prayers ]

Composed in 2020, the Space Force Hymn (Wikipedia) is the first military hymn written in 105 years. Its author, former Air Force Captain James F. Linzey, who retired as a chaplain from the Army, is the only living composer of a military hymn.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Spiritual Fitness in the USA Military ]

Each hymn’s stanzas are shown below, as is the NATO Hymn enhanced with sacred lyrics by Capt. Linzey. Originally written by Captain André Reichling of the Luxembourg Military Band in 1989 to commemorate NATO’s 40th anniversary, the hymn was officially adopted as an instrumental anthem in 2018. Now, Capt. Linzey’s sacred lyrics draw on Psalm 8 and George Frideric Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus, bringing a spiritual dimension to NATO’s official music. Capt. Linzey says this rendition of the hymn and imagery are not in any way endorsed by NATO, nor are they official publications of NATO.

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250th Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord for American Independence

Saturday, April 19, 2025, was the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord of Wednesday, April 19, 1775, the first major military campaign of the American Revolutionary War.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Important US Dates to Commemorate ]

The English government had ordered its British military forces to seize the American civilian colonists’ weapons and gunpowder being stored in Concord, Massachusetts. However, the colonists’ resolute resistance resulted in an American victory and an outpouring of support for liberty and independence.

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The battles were fought on the American side primarily by privately armed militias and individuals bearing their personal firearms, an act so indelibly impressed upon the colonists’ consciousness that, 16 years later, after the war was won and the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified December 15, 1791, the individual right to keep and bear arms (today known as The Second Amendment) was definitively prioritized and protected from American government infringement; esteemed enough to be considered one of the top two fundamental and vital civil rights on which to build the great American nation.

How notoriously ironic that 250 years ago, Massachusetts as a colony preeminently prioritized the unalienable civil right to keep and bear arms, with its citizens making the ultimate sacrifice to protect that right, but today it is one of the worst states to infringe on that right!