Marines turn to God ahead of anticipated Fallujah battle

drudgereport.com ^ | Sat Nov 06 2004 09:37:17 ET

[arasina]

15: When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was round about the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"
16: He said, "Fear not, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
17: Then Eli'sha prayed, and said, "O LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Eli'sha.

[LADYAK]

And we saw God's hand play a trump on the elections we again will see his hand protect our troops...in Jesus name.

[TexKat]

US Marines of the 1st Division line up for a prayer at their base outside Fallujah, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 6 , 2004. More than 10,000 U.S. troops have taken positions around the rebel-controlled city of Fallujah, bolstering the U.S. Marine units expected to lead a joint Army-Marine assault on the city. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

US Marines of the 1st Division bow their heads during a prayer at their base outside Fallujah, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 6 , 2004. More than 10,000 U.S. troops have taken positions around the rebel-controlled city of Fallujah, bolstering the U.S. Marine units expected to lead a joint Army-Marine assault on the city. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

US Marines of the 1st Division line up for a joined prayer at their base outside Fallujah, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 6 , 2004. More than 10,000 U.S. troops have taken positions around the rebel-controlled city of Fallujah, bolstering the U.S. Marine units expected to lead a joint Army-Marine assault on the city. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

[We Happy Few]

Yeah, Keith Emerson's synthesizer fills were really melodic and imaginative. ELP introduced headbangers to a lot of great classical music.

But the best arrangement I have ever heard of the Perry tune was the one used at Ronald Reagan's funeral at the National Cathedral--full choir, pipe organ, horns, tympani. Different words were used than Blake's poem.

[TexKat]

US Marines of the 1st Division line up prior to a prayer at their base outside Fallujah, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 6 , 2004. More than 10,000 U.S. troops have taken positions around the rebel-controlled city of Fallujah, bolstering the U.S. Marine units expected to lead a joint Army-Marine assault on the city. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

[DocRock]

For over a week I've had a burden on my heart for our troops and I've been asking my mens prayer group and choir to pray for their protection and that the Lord will put stumbling blocks in the way of the enemy and deliver them into the hands of our warriors. My church has met for special called prayer meetings for the election and I always reminded everyone to pray for this inevitable battle. Prayer warriors need to keep sending prayers!

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Psa 144:1 [[A Psalm] of David.] Blessed [be] the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, [and] my fingers to fight. My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and [he] in whom I trust;

[ride the whirlwind]

[Spiff]

A Table in the Presence

By Lt. Carey H. Cash

Review by Emily Cochran
TownHall.com

In A Table in the Presence, Chaplain Lt. Carey Cash delivers a powerful firsthand account of how the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment (or "1/5 Marines") experienced God's presence amidst the chaos and carnage of war. The thousand-strong "Fightin' Fifth" was the first ground combat force to roll across the border into Iraq in March 2003, saw the first man killed in action by the enemy, and fought what many believe to be the most decisive battle in the taking of downtown Baghdad. Cash tells a story of courage, strength, and inspiration as he weaves the prayers which sustained and strengthened his Marines with the vivid and sobering images and sounds of war.

In the 40 days leading up to the war, the Marines waited in the northern desert of Kuwait, restless and wondering if the war would ever begin. Iraqi Scud missile scares had become a way of life for the battalion, and there was no shortage of rumors about fierce enemy forces awaiting them in Iraq. Cash asserts that even in the face of such enemies and uncertainty, all other battle preparations paled in comparison to the soldiers' need for God:

After all the training, all the physical conditioning hikes, all the strategy sessions, all the intelligence briefs, all the live-fire rifle ranges, it had come to this - a decisive moment and a sincere prayer. We stood together in a circle, asking God for help, for strength, and for courage.

A hunger for God and for spiritual resolution swept through the camp as the men realized their mission; indeed, the removal of a murderous dictator and the liberation of an oppressed people were no small tasks. Day and night Chaplain Cash talked with young Marines about life, death, salvation, heaven, hell, forgiveness, broken relationships, and learning to trust again.

Just two weeks before the ground battle began, Chaplain Cash baptized 49 Marines and Sailors. He says the spiritual desires of the Marines became more acute as they prepared for war:

It has always been in places of barrenness and isolation, where the heart of man begins to perceive that which, in the midst of his fast-paced life, he never could….[H]is needs become simplified and yet more urgent; his ears become more sensitive and able to hear those gentle songs of heaven beginning to resonate in his soul. He looks out on the vast but beautiful night sky filled with thousands of brilliant stars, and he is reminded of a Creator …. And in this all-consuming quiet, he is confronted with his own emptiness, his own spiritual poverty....

Cash claims that the spiritual soundness of our warriors is as important as their mental and physical fortitude. For in God, Cash writes, they find the strength, wisdom, decisiveness, and courage needed to do their jobs. When asked, God gives both clarity of thought and inner peace to men as another protective layer of armor on the battlefield.

Cash includes dozens of the many hundreds of letters his battalion received from Americans praying for them to have courage and strength on the battlefield. These prayers from strangers affected and inspired his men, encouraging the soldiers to see God's power as He answered these prayers. Although Cash's gripping narrative brings to light the horror and reality of war, it also includes the quiet moments after combat in which Marines spontaneously gathered to give thanks to God for sustaining them through battle.

Cash's dramatic writing captures the fear, honor and courage of the 1/5 Marines. As the Marines come face-to-face with rocket-wielding enemies, heavy gunfire, and what sometimes seems certain defeat, readers are left breathless and God's omnipresence is affirmed. In one instance, an RPG fired at pointblank range literally dodged a Marine who stood just yards away, locked in the enemy's sights. Chaplain Cash includes countless testimonies of Marines escaping sure injury and death. In doing so, he makes a compelling argument that the primary reason for so few injuries and deaths in his battalion was the Divine protection of the Almighty.

. Readers will come to know and even love the brave men of the Fightin' Fifth. In the epilogue Cash respectfully and movingly honors those men who fell on the battlefield, and offers his thoughts on why some of his men did not come home. It is a section of the book that deserves contemplation and revisiting.

While reading about how active God has been in protecting American soldiers, it is absolutely offensive to remember the many lawsuits and other attempts to remove God from our military schools. A Table in the Presence leaves no question as to the importance of prayer and the sustaining power of God's love. Cash's testimony about the 1/5 Marines pays tribute to God, honors our troops, and will surely uplift and inspire his readers.

[Pegita]

Heavenly Father, we return with tear-stained hearts in the knowledge that another battle begins, yet we praise You that America's sons and daughters look to You for sustenance and strength and victory. May we, without ceasing, bring them before the Throne of Grace ... may our every tear and every sweet whisper of their name be a hedge of protection around them.

Grant unto each one the knowledge that their mission is noble and just, and may they be rewarded with the knowledge that the enemy shall rise no more. Bless the nations of the world who stand alongside, for the hearts of mothers and fathers everywhere share the fear for the safety of their precious child. May it soon be, Merciful Father, that Iraq will truly breathe free and our Warriors will return home. We rejoice with those who will once again cradle their beloved in their arms ... we grieve with those whose loved ones will rest in their native soil. Our hearts are broken, yet in life and in death, Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord. Amen ...

[califamily4W]

Yes, they are Marines. My Prayers are Incoming for them and they are constantly on my mind now. They are the Best of the Best and we sleep easy at night because of them.
______

...you read my mind, bump.

[Max Combined]

Air Force

---

Airmen

Coast Guard-------Coast Guardsmen


Shoudn't that be Airpersons and Coast Guardspersons?

[McGavin999]

as they awaited Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's decision [!?!] on whether or not to invade Fallujah . . .

We handed over Iraq to the Iraqis on June 28th. It's their call. Our men and women are not under the authority of the Iraqis, but it is THEIR call since it's THEIR country.

[SwatTeam]

LOL

Only if you're a feminist, which I'm definitely not. All of the military women I've known had no problem with the title airmen. They were secure enough in their identity they didn't go along with all the pc crap of the feminist.

[milagro]

Would like to share this with everyone. All last week I looked to the Psalms (as I did during the first few days of the Iraq invasion) and drew great comfort from them. They are the Psalms that coincide with the dates of 11/2-11/6 ,i.e., Psalms 112-116.

Just to give an example: Psalm 112 opens with "Happy the man who fears Yahweh by joyfully keeping his commandments!" and ends with "men such as this will always be honoured, though this fills the wicked with fury until, grinding their teeth they waste away, vanishing like their vain hopes."

[Eagle Eye]

lol...in all sincerity and nuance.

[TexKat]

Now our guys blow off a little steam.

This is just too good.

US Marines of the 1st Division try to control a horse as they stage a chariot race reminiscent of the Charlton Heston movie, complete with confiscated Iraqi horses at their base outside Fallujah, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 6 , 2004. For U.S. Marines tapped to lead an expected attack on insurgent-held Fallujah, the bags have been packed, trucks have been loaded and final letters have been sent, leaving one final task - the 'Ben-Hur.' (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus

US Marines of the 1st Division dressed as gladiators stage a chariot race reminiscent of the Charlton Heston movie-complete with confiscated Iraqi horses at their base outside Fallujah, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 6 , 2004. For U.S. Marines tapped to lead an expected attack on insurgent-held Fallujah, the bags have been packed, trucks have been loaded and final letters have been sent, leaving one final task - the 'Ben-Hur.' (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

[Sally II]

I get two very different impressions when I read that. On one hand, I know that God is with our soldiers in this fight. The prophecies tell of Babylon becoming a big financial force in the end times, and God is using his own to bring that to fruition.

The other thought is that mainstream Christianity seems to be leaning towards more simplistic rock and roll messages and emotionalism. I don't have a problem with that. I think they're all the salt of the earth. I just wonder what direction mainstream Christianity is going.

[InvisibleChurch]

as long as the message is true, i believe that the messenger can change

[oh8eleven]

I found them to be some of the most dedicated and professional fighting men I've encountered in 21 years with the Army.
Thanks and I appreciate your service. I had occasion to team up with some soldiers from the 1st Cav while in RVN. Glad they were on my side.

[RoseofTexas]

In reality, GOD IS ALL WE REALLY HAVE...please Lord protect our soldiers, be their shield and their sword! For the Lord says....THE VICTORY IS OURS AND THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD...thank you Father, Son and Holy Spirit!