Orthodox Reflections

By Nicholas – member of the Western Rite Vicariate, a part of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in America

One of our parish’s young men just returned from Army Advanced Camp. An enlisted national guardsman and university Army ROTC cadet, this was his last big hurdle to getting a commission as a lieutenant next May. He plans to serve out his duty obligation in the National Guard. When the subject of Church at camp came up, he reported going to Roman Catholic Mass, along with at least 14 other Orthodox soldiers. They had impromptu gripe sessions after each mass about how weird Roman Catholicism is, before dispersing back to their own barracks. Novus Ordo routinely fails to impress Orthodox Christians, but it appears to be better than either staying in or suffering through Protestantism. These, unfortunately, were the only three options these men had.

During the conversation, he got really serious and said, “Why are there never any Orthodox chaplains? Why doesn’t anybody care about us?” That is a sentiment we hear echoed again and again by young men and women in uniform.

Where are the chaplains? Too few and far between is the real answer. There is a related question, often asked by Orthodox military personnel upon reaching their first duty station. Where are the Orthodox parishes? It is not uncommon to get settled into a fly-over country installation, only to find out that the closest option for church is hours away. The lack of chaplains would be felt less acutely were there Orthodox Churches near more bases. The shortage of chaplains and local parishes is a double hit to young service men and women at a vulnerable time in their lives.

We can do better. We have to do better.

But why? As everyone who reads Orthodox Reflections knows, our site is very much against war and very much against the current U.S. foreign policy based on perpetual war. We are clear on that. So why are we so concerned about spiritually helping soldiers, Marines, sailors, and airmen? Shouldn’t we just encourage young people, given all the nefariousness we are involved in as a nation, to avoid military service altogether, or to exit the military as quickly as possible? Those are fair points, but they are not the whole story. There are multiple reasons why the Orthodox Church should focus on the U.S. military.

1. The military is a field ripe unto harvest.

Many soldiers, Marines, sailors, and airmen convert, or at least begin to inquire, after they have already contracted with the military. The Internet still works on military bases. So do Amazon book deliveries. Further, there are already Orthodox Christians in the military who are actively sharing their faith with their comrades in arms. U.S. military personnel are discovering Orthodoxy daily, only to find themselves without local spiritual fathers.

Don’t like military service? Don’t think Orthodox Christians belong in American uniforms (or any uniforms)? “Don’t sign up” could work as advice for cradles (not really, because many cradles have valid reasons for signing up, including service in their State Guards). But no matter how anti-military you are, mercy demands you at least make allowances for service members that find their way to Orthodoxy after they have already been sworn in. Their souls matter, and they need support from the Orthodox Church to fully live out their Faith.

Conversions to Christianity of already serving soldiers is not, by the way, a new thing. Nor is how tough it can be to follow Christ in uniform. To prepare for his fight against Emperor Constantine, Licinius decided to purge his army of Christians. He was afraid they would mutiny in the coming campaign, given how favorably disposed Constantine had proven himself to Christianity. Why were there Christian men serving in a pagan, idolatrous army in the early 4th Century? Because, undoubtedly, most (if not all) had converted when they were already in the military. So what happened to the soldiers of Licinius who refused to give up their Christianity in allegiance to him? In the middle of Winter, the Romans lined up 40 holy soldiers, and threw them into a freezing lake. In order to break the will of the martyrs, a warm bath-house was set up on the shore. During the first hour of the night, when the cold had become unbearable, one of the soldiers made a dash for the bath-house, but no sooner had he stepped over the threshold, then he fell down dead. But by God’s mercy, he was eventually replaced by a new convert soldier named Aglaius. Keeping watch over the lake, Aglasius saw that 39 radiant crowns had appeared over the head of each martyr. Aglaius realized that the soldier who fled had lost his crown. He then woke up the other guards, took off his uniform and said to them, “I too am a Christian,” and he joined the martyrs. Standing in the water he prayed, “Lord God, I believe in You, in Whom these soldiers believe. Add me to their number, and make me worthy to suffer with Your servants.” Then a fortieth crown appeared over his head. We know these men, these soldiers of a still mostly pagan empire, as the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste. Soldiers were a fertile mission ground then, as they are today. Orthodox American soldiers, by standing tall for Christ, can have an impact far beyond anything you can possibly imagine.

2. We need the weapon systems in the hands of good men. 

We cannot abandon the armed forces to the worst elements of our society. The military has the guns, the drones, the bombs, the missiles, the artillery, and the armored vehicles. As our central government descends further and further into a menacing surveillance state, do we want all that enforcement power solely in the hands of Satanists, pagan LARPers with Thor tats, atheists, Christian Dispensationalists / Zionists with their Apocalyptic expectations, nihilists, gang infiltrators, communists, angry incels, etc.? Or do we want to cultivate a cadre of holy men and women whose examples shine even brighter in the midst of such darkness?

Most people do not realize that the 1991 attempted coup by Soviet hardliners, against Gorbachev, largely failed because many KGB and military officers refused to carry out the plotters’ orders. Some even actively went over to the other side to protect Yeltsin and his allies. These were military and intelligence men reared and trained under communism. How different would history have been, had everyone just “followed orders?” How badly can things go for us, if our military blindly follows the orders issued by individuals who think starving children is a legitimate method of fighting “terrorism?” We need good men and women of sound judgement, formed by a living Orthodox Faith, in uniform to serve Christ first, and the chain of command second, regardless of the personal cost. The level of dedication we need from our Orthodox military personnel does not happen by accident. They need spiritual guidance, support, and loving communities. We owe them all that for what we are likely to ask of them. Don’t let the pagans and the Zionists and the Satanists and the Woke win the battle for the soul of our military. If we do, we’ll regret it bitterly.

3. There are positive roles for the military.

The U.S. military doesn’t just bomb innocent civilians in foreign countries. It may seem that way, but that is not the case. At the state level, National Guard units are the first responders for natural catastrophes and major civil unrest. At sea, the U.S. Coast Guard provides search and rescue operations for sailors in distress, as does the U.S. Navy to a lesser extent. If we are to ever have a chance at actually securing our borders, then the active duty military will have a major role to play in that process. The truth is that, even if the U.S. decided to stop intervening in foreign conflicts immediately, there would still be multiple roles for a U.S. military in this country. Though, in such a blessed peacetime, they would serve in a far cheaper, far smaller military – soldiers are going to be with us until Christ Returns in Glory. If we must have men with dangerous weapons and combat training, then we should at least want ones of the best moral fiber willingly performing tasks our society actually need done.

4. Today’s soldiers are tomorrow’s veterans at coffee hour. 

We need Orthodox Christians in our parishes with disaster preparedness skills. Orthodox Christians have just been through major natural disasters (Florida, California, and North Carolina come to mind), while multiple urban parishes have seen their share of civil disturbances. Who does a community tend to look to for leadership when it all goes sideways? It’s almost always the same list – military veterans, former / current first responders (police, fire – also often veterans), the medically trained (RNs, doctors, paramedics), the mechanically inclined (builders, mechanics, engineers), and the priest. As our veterans age, and they lose all their valuable skills to the ravages of physical decline, do we really not want to replace them with younger ones? Not everyone has to wear a uniform. In fact, that will always be the role of a small minority in a society with an all-volunteer force. But that minority can learn extremely valuable skills which, over and over again, have proven essential during crises of all kinds. These are skills we want in our parishes. Trust me on that.

Conclusion

So no, we are not going to get all the Orthodox Christians out of the U.S. military, even if it does offer Satanism and paganism as religious options. Nor should we even be trying to do so. While our Orthodox in uniform represent Christ in a decidedly hostile environment, that has all be done before. Our spiritual forebearers in the Orthodox Faith served pagan emperors when they could, and freely chose martyrdom when they couldn’t. We sing hymns in their honor 1,700 years later. The key is not to retreat from the uniformed services, but to give our Orthodox Christians the spiritual tools to transform themselves and everyone around them to the salvation of souls and the Glory of God.

How can we do that? Stay tuned. This is just an introduction to the problem. Everyone needs to understand where we are, and why where we are matters, before anyone can offer properly framed solutions. Expect new articles in the near future on our site with concrete suggestions for improving things. Thanks be to God, we have recently been made aware of some important initiatives in the works to help Orthodox Christians in the military live and grow in their faith. As we get more information, so will you.

In preparation for that, however, one thing needs to be said right now. While we are going to bring you more information on how to help Orthodox military personnel, those initiatives do not replace the need for leadership on the part of our Orthodox bishops. We can encourage men to pursue the priesthood, and to spend at least part of their careers as chaplains. We can encourage physically able priests to consider being chaplains, or at least encourage them to focus on any close-by military installations (the way some priests focus on local college ministries). Orthodox non-profits can publish resources to assist Orthodox military personnel in their daily struggles. All Orthodox Christians can offer prayers, friendship, and other types of support to the service members (and their families) God brings into our lives. All of that is wonderful. If, however, we are ever to truly solve our lack of chaplains, and our shortage of parishes, then the Orthodox bishops in North America will have to be the ones to lead the way. Perhaps we, the Orthodox Faithful of the United States, can encourage them in this regard.