A reader has a question

Last updated on: December 29, 2014 at 11:14 pm by Mark Shea

A reader has a question 2014-12-29T23:14:55-07:00 Mark Shea

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She wonders…

whether we should encourage our son to accept an Air Force ROTC scholarship or not. I am an Army veteran (ROTC), but with no combat experience, my husband is civilian, my dad and bros were Air Force enlisted, my other brother is still in the Army. I have military friends, mostly Navy, mostly officers, some still in, who are at least on the fence or vehemently against encouraging their own children to go into the military. One comment was that enlisted you could probably keep your head down and not encounter any unusual tyhpes of discrimination or orders to go against the Faith, but that officers will have more difficulty. My husband thinks that all of our children in all walks of life are going to have to fight through this one way or another, but is also on the fence about whether to encourage or discourage. I would love to know what some of your followers would say, particularly prior-service/active duty. It would be a great opportunity and honor for him, but OTOH is our country so far gone that is is no longer an honor and indeed wrong to serve in this way.

I’m not in the military myself and will leave it to my military readers respond. For what it’s worth, while I think it an ominous straw in the wind that the Administration is consulting with obvious and naked anti-Christian bigot like Mikey Weinstein, I would also be cautious of the hysterics fomented by outfits like World Nut Daily, the Blaze, and Breitbart, who are prominent outlets for the Right Wing Noise Machine and who specialize in whipping people into frenzies of fear and anger at the drop of a hat. This nine day wonder seems to not have even lasted nine days before the RWNM moved on THIS HUGELY IMPORTANT THING WE MUST ALL PANIC ABOUT RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND!!! to Benghazi and the IRS, dropping it like it never happened. So while it’s smart to assume that a post-Christian culture is probably going to eventually be reflected by a post-Christian military culture, I would not immediately assume that the shift is that imminent or draconian (or inevitable). Of all the many subculture of our nation, I would say that the military, with its tendency to attract people who put honor, sacrifice, courage, and service to other at a high premium, remains a rich mission field for the gospel.

Just my 2 cents. I cede the floor to my military readers.

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