An article from the Iowa Army National Guard described the value of the US military providing religious support for its troops:

A single, unassuming shelter stands out. On the surface, it looks just like the rest, except for one small detail – a small, navy blue flag, with a single white cross in the center.

Many Soldiers walk by this tent without a second thought. However, to a Soldier of faith, it’s a beacon of light in an otherwise dreary environment.

This flag is a cue to Soldiers of Task Force Ironman, Iowa Army National Guard that they have a place to practice their religion. Even in this unforgiving terrain, far from home, they’re offered a reminder they’re not alone.

Chapels and chaplains have occasionally been criticized by some for bringing religion to troops downrange — even in combat. What those critics frequently fail to realize is the troops want that religious support, and they have a right to exercise their faith. So while a militant atheist may object to a tent sporting the chapel flag — or consider a cross in a combat area to be “flaunting” in the face of Islam, as Chris Rodda once farcically claimed — the troops find it a “beacon of light”, and a “reminder they’re not alone.”

And in the world of combat deployments, family separations, and life-and-death struggles, that is certainly a good thing.

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