Leader-led Prayer: The Example of Major General Francis H. Smith
On the campus of Virginia Military Institute stands a statue of Major General Francis H. Smith, first Superintendent of VMI, which was unveiled on June 10, 1931. Thomas W. Davis writing at the VMI Sesquicentennial in 1988 describes the statue of the General:
He is shown in the act of giving a diploma, which is partially unrolled in his right hand; he holds a Bible in his left hand, symbolic of the one he gave to each graduate with a personal inscription. A graduate of General Smith’s last class, WWI hero, Samuel D. Rockenbach gave a history of Smith’s life…He said that in World War I amidst high casualties in his unit, he remembered that General Smith had written on the flyleaf of his Bible: ‘I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.’ He said it never left his mind that Old Specs was praying for him.[1]
Every officer in training for the American armed forces is encouraged to maintain the highest standard in moral leadership and exemplary character. Acknowledgement of Divine Providence through unit prayer serves as a strong example to those led, because soldiers are not led into war by strategists, technologists, or academics, but by the “long gray line” of exemplary leaders who have shaped a courageous and moral military ethic. Military prayers to the Almighty have served to preserve many more soldiers in fox holes than lawyers and judges on benches.
All military training is carried out in preparation for combat. Soldiers in the remote areas of Afghanistan, or WWII soldiers on submarine duty, 25% of whom never returned from their final mission, did not have a chaplain to lead them in prayer. Officers trained by the military’s first principles of virtue, honor and patriotism led by example in giving moral support through prayer and example.
It is unfortunate that the hearing to decide on the fate of unit-led prayer could not be heard in an Iraqi foxhole rather than a paneled courtroom that claims to do justice. It is difficult to comprehend in our present hour of peril the consequences of handing soldiers guns and orders without including the force of virtue. We are reading the headlines describing the suicide crisis in the military that claims more lives than combat. General George C. Marshall was right when he said of his troops,
…I look upon the spiritual life of the soldier as even more important than his physical equipment…the soldier’s heart, the soldier’s spirit, the soldier’s soul are everything. Unless the soldier’s soul sustains him, he cannot be relied upon and will fail himself and his commander and his country in the end. It’s morale, and I mean morale, which wins the victory in the ultimate, and that type of morale can only come out of the religious fervor in his soul. I count heavily on that type of man and that kind of Army.[2]
For further history of the military necessity of prayer in our American Military, we recommend: “Endowed By Their Creator”: A Collection of Historic American Military Prayers: 1774-Present.
[1] Thomas W. Davis, Ed. A Crowd of Honorable Youths: Historical Essays On The First 150 Years of the Virginia Military Institute. (Lexington: VMI Sesquicentennial Committee, 1988) pp. 140-141.
[2] Joint Pub 1-05. Religious Ministry Support for Joint Operations. Joint Chiefs of Staff. 26 August 1996, p. II-3. Cited in Endowed By Their Creator, First Principles Press, p. 4
Grant that We May…
O God, who knowest the duties that be ahead of us, and the weaknesses that easily beset us, prepare us for the unknown immediately before us…
General Mark W. Clark was an American general during World War II and the Korean War, and was the youngest lieutenant general in the Army.
…We do not pray for immunity from risks; we pray for courage to face risks. We do not ask to be spared from danger; we ask for strength to face danger resolutely…
General Clark was the son of a career Infantry officer, who was stationed at Fort Sheridan. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant of Infantry when he graduated from high school in 1917. From there, he rose rapidly through the ranks until May August 5th of that same year, when he was promoted to Captain. He became General during World War II.
The General died on April 17, 1984, at the age of 87. Today, his grave can be visited at the Citadel.
…Grant that we may be able to finish that which Thou hast granted us the wish to begin; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
May Thy Truth Make Us Free
Thou hast taught us to love truth and beauty and goodness. In all our relationships as citizens of the Republic, this sweet land of liberty, may Thy truth make us free- free from littleness, pride, and prejudice, and from all the ugly sins of disposition which so easily do beset us. May our patriotism be pure and undefiled. In all our aspirations and attitudes lift us, we pray Thee, above the mud and scum of mere things to the holiness of Thy beauty. Thus may the common tasks and the trivial rounds be edged with crimson and gold.
Lead us in the paths of righteousness for Thy Name’s sake. Enrich us with those durable satisfactions of life, so that the multiplying years may not find us bankrupt in those things that matter most, the golden currency of faith and hope and love.
In these desperate and dangerous days in our national life, when the precious things we hold nearest our hearts are threatened by the sinister forces without pity or conscience, help us to give the best that is in us against the wrong that needs resistance, and for the right that needs assistance and for the future in the distance, and the good that we may do.
In this solemn hour of the supreme test of America’s faith, may we bear our full part in freedom’s daughters who will live in the light of the new day: “I saw the powers of darkness put to flight. I saw the morning break!”
We ask it in the dear Redeemer’s name. Amen.
Rev. Frederick Brown Harris (1883 – 1970) – The Armed Forces Prayer Book
Rev. Harris was a Methodist Clergyman and has the longest service record as Chaplain of the Senate – 24 years.
For more info on historic American military prayers visit: http://firstprinciplespress.org/newsite/military-prayer-collection/
All That I Can Do
My God, I offer to Thee this day
All that I can think, or do, or say;
Uniting it with what was done
On earth by Jesus Christ, Thy son.
Amen.
– General Clifton B. Cates (1893-1970)
General Cates was the 19th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps (served January 1, 1948 – December 31, 1951) . He was honored for his heroism during World War I at Belleau Wood and in World War II for inspired combat leadership at Iwo Jima.
Comfort and Strength From Prayer – Gen. A.C. Zinni
“‘Endowed By The Creator’ is a magnificent historic collection of military prayers. For those of us who have experienced the horrors and stress of combat, it reminds us of the comfort and strength we drew from prayer. This blessed work reminds us that America’s Warriors and leaders have called on our creator in the darkest of times to help us through our trials. We should never forget or abandon the value of prayer for our men and women in uniform.”
-General Anthony C. Zinni, USMC (ret.)
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Gen. Zinni is a retired four-star General and former Commander in Chief of United States Central Command (CENTCOM). In 2002, he was selected to be aspecial envoy for the United States to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. While serving as special envoy, Zinni was also an instructor in the Department of International Studies at the Virginia Military Institute.
Currently, he is an instructor at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, a public speaker, and an author of two best-selling books on his military career and foreign affairs. Zinni also serves on the advisory boards of eight different companies, including the security testing firm, Mu Dynamics, based in Sunnyvale, California. He joined Duke University’s Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy in Spring 2008 as the Sanford Distinguished Lecturer in Residence and taught a new course in the Hart Leadership Program. Since September 2011, he has served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Middle East Institute.
Gen. Zinni has attended the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Amphibious Warfare School, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the National War College. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and two Master of Arts degrees, one in international relations and another in management and supervision.
Gen. Zinni served as the Chief of Staff and Deputy Commanding General of Combined Task Force Operation Provide Comfort during the Kurdish relief effort in Turkey and Iraq; Military Coordinator for Operation Provide Hope, the relief effort for the former Soviet Union; Director for Operations for the Unified Task Force in Somalia for Operation Restore Hope; Assistant to the U.S. Special Envoy to Somalia during Operation Continued Hope; was assigned from 1992 to 1994 as the Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, Virginia; Commanding General, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force; Commander of the Combined Task Force for Operation United Shield, protecting the withdrawal of U.N. forces from Somalia; and Deputy Commander in Chief, United States Central Command. His final tour was from August 1997 to September 2000 as the Commander in Chief, United States Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. He organized Operation Desert Fox, a series of airstrikes against Iraq during December 1998.