After having the Declaration of Independence read to his troops, General George Washington issued the order, July 9, 1776:
"Commanding
officers of each regiment are directed to procure Chaplains... -
persons of good Characters and exemplary lives - to see that all
inferior officers and soldiers pay them a suitable respect and attend
carefully upon religious exercises.
The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger -
The
General hopes and trusts, that every officer and man, will endeavour so
to live, and act, as becomes a Christian Soldier, defending the dearest
Rights and Liberties of his country...
The peace and safety of his Country depends (under God) solely on the success of our arms."
On May 2, 1778, General George Washington issued the order to his
troops at Valley Forge:
"The
Commander-in-Chief directs that Divine service be performed every
Sunday at 11 o'clock, in each Brigade which has a Chaplain.
Those
Brigades which have none will attend the places of worship nearest to
them. It is expected that officers of all ranks will, by their
attendance, set an example for their men.
While
we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers,
we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of
religion.
To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should
be our highest Glory to laud the more distinguished Character of
Christian."
On November 15, 1862, President Lincoln ordered:
"The
discipline and character of the national forces should not suffer nor
the cause they defend be imperiled by the profanation of the day or name
of the Most High...
'At this time of public distress,' adopting
the words of Washington in 1776, 'men may find enough to do in the
service of God and their country without abandoning themselves to vice
and immorality.'"
Lincoln added:
"The
first general order issued by the Father of his Country after the
Declaration of Independence indicates the spirit in which our
institutions were founded and should ever be defended:
'The
General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to
live and act as becomes a Christian soldier defending the dearest rights
and liberties of his country.'"
President Benjamin Harrison ordered, June 7, 1889:
"In
November, 1862, President Lincoln quoted the words of Washington to
sustain his own views, and announced in a general order that -
'The
President, Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, desires and enjoins
the orderly observance of the Sabbath by the officers and men in the
military and naval service... "
President Harrison continued:
"The
importance for man and beast of the prescribed weekly rest, the sacred
rights of Christian soldiers and sailors, a becoming deference to the
best sentiment of a Christian people, and a due regard for the Divine
Will demand that Sunday labor in the Army and Navy be reduced to the
measure of strict necessity.'...
To
recall the kindly and considerate spirit of the orders issued by these
great men in the most trying times of our history, and to promote
contentment and efficiency, the President directs that Sunday morning
inspection will be merely of the dress and general appearance."
President Woodrow Wilson gave the order, January 20, 1918:
"The
President, commander in chief of the Army and Navy, following the
reverent example of his predecessors, desires and enjoins the orderly
observance of the Sabbath by the officers and men in the military and
naval service of the United States.
The
importance for man and beast of the prescribed weekly rest, the sacred
rights of Christian soldiers and sailors, a becoming deference to the
best sentiment of a Christian people, and a due regard for the Divine
Will demand that Sunday labor in the Army and Navy be reduced to the
measure of strict necessity.
Such
an observance of Sunday is dictated by the best traditions of our
people and by the convictions of all who look to Divine Providence for
guidance and protection,
and, in repeating in this order the
language of President Lincoln, the President in confident that he is
speaking alike to the hearts and to the consciences of those under his
authority."
In 1947, the U.S. Corp of Cadets required:
"Attendance at chapel is part of a cadet's training; no cadet will be exempted.
Each cadet will receive religious training in one of the three particular faiths: Protestant, Catholic or Jewish."
In 1949, the U.S. Naval Academy required:
"All Midshipmen, except those on authorized outside church parties, shall attend Sunday services in the chapel."
Get your own copy of the best-selling America's God and Country Encyclopedia of QuotationsOn AUGUST 17, 1955, President Eisenhower authorized the code of conduct for U.S. soldiers, which stated:
"I serve in the forces which guard my country and our way of life.
I am prepared to give my life in their defense...
If captured...I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy...
I
will never forget I am an American fighting man, responsible for my
actions and dedicated to the principles which made my country free.
I will trust in my God and in the United States of America."
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