Prayer.

This is coolbert:

We in the modern times think of prayer, war, and the soldier as being contradictions. Not all have shared this attitude.

During the Battle of the Bulge, in World War Two, General
Patton ordered his chaplain to compose a prayer in the hope that inclement
weather would be lifted, allowing grounded U.S. aircraft to take to the air
and be able to strike German positions. At first the chaplain was hesitant
to compose such a prayer. This might seem to be seen as asking for GOD's
help in killing at war. But the chaplain did compose the prayer, the prayer
was said, the inclement weather was lifted, U.S. aircraft took to the air,
and the battle did go in favor of the U.S. forces. The short version of Patton's prayer goes as:

General Patton's prayer, prepared by Msgr. James H. O'Neill, Chief Chaplain
of the Third Army

"Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great
goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations."

There is a much longer version of Patton's prayer. To see the entire prayer, click here.

Now, some military units now only have prayed for success on the
battlefield, but did so in a fervent manner. Again, while to the modern mind,
prayer and the military are contradictions, in the past, this has not always
been so.

The "Ironsides" division of the New Model Army, during the British Civil War, commanded by Oliver Cromwell, went into battle both praying and singing the psalms!! Killing and prayer were not in conflict to them.

The Boer commando heading for the Battle of Blood River, previously
mentioned in a previous post, was said to resemble an intinerent prayer
service. Stops for prayers, entreaties to GOD, and solemn vows were all part
of the march. The date of the battle, December 14, was known in South Africa until recently as the "Day of the Covenant". The commando members had made a religious pledge that if GOD delivered their enemies [the Zulus] into their hands, they [the Boers] would consecrate that day and keep it holy as the would the Sabbath [I am paraphrasing here]. After the Boer War [a period far subsequent and many years after the Blood River battle], Winston Churchill made special mention in his memoirs of hearing the Boers preparing for battle by praying, and the chilling effect this had on the British soldiers.

coolbert.