Onward Christian Soldiers -- Libera

As you probably have heard, abuses at the Veteran's Administration's Houston (Texas) National Cemetery have highlighted an apparent national policy to restrict and even outright censor use of the words God and Jesus Christ in military memorial services and burial rituals. Earlier this year, for example, a VFW chaplain was told by a government official at the National Cemetery that the word God was forbidden, and a VFW honor guard junior vice commander was informed that he could not comfort grieving families with the words, "May God grant you grace, mercy and peace." The cemetery's former chapel has been redesignated "a meeting facility" that is now routinely kept locked, with pews used to store boxes.

A number of Texas patriots are preparing a court battle with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to preserve the religious freedom of veterans, chaplains, and mourners at the National Cemetery. These patriots are the legal staff of Liberty Institute, a non-profit legal organization; Rev. Scott Rainey, a Nazarene pastor; members of American Legion Post 586; members of Veterans of Foreign Wars District 4; and the National Memorial Ladies, a volunteer group that attends funerals of fallen service members.

Washington National Cathedral

In solidarity with these patriots, Bread upon the Waters offers the following hymn, Onward Christian Soldiers, which was sung at the fun­er­al of President and Commander-in-Chief Dwight David Ei­sen­how­er at the Na­tion­al Ca­thed­ral, Wash­ing­ton, DC, March 1969. As president, Eisenhower had established Veterans Day as a national holiday. The president's funeral incorporated his wishes and those of his immediate family.

That was then. 

Eisenhower knew a little something about military funerals. During World War II, he had served as Commanding General of the European Theater, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in North Africa, Commander of the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces,and General of the Army (5 stars). After the war, he served as Military Governor of the US Occupied Zone, Chief of Staff of the US Army, and Supreme Allied Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Today, by comparison, as Maggie of Maggie's Notebook points out, "the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is under the direct command of Attorney General Eric Holder’s Department of Justice. . . ."

U.S. Attorneys will be going to court to forbid Christian soldiers being buried as the names of God or Jesus are invoked. 

Why would Eric Holder and his boss, Barack Obama, stand between a bereaved person's grief and the solace of a prayer? Maggie continues:

This DOJ is as anti-Christian as it is possible to be, working under the might and power of the U.S. government, and our taxpayer dollars support their salaries.

To take such action, this administration must feel deeply threatened by the dignifying power of faith in God. Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1934), the author of Onward Christian Soldiers, saw it this way:

Hell's foundations quiver
At the sound of praise.

On then, Christian Soldiers, on to victory.

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