An official US Marine Corps article notes “religion” can be a “helping hand in a hard place:”

“Anytime we’re faced with life and death – what we do is inherently dangerous – we face the ultimate questions. Religion helps answer that,” said [Chaplain] Lt. Cmdr. Troy Todd…

Religion has always played a quiet and undemanding role in the military. While regulations keep it from being something any Marine or sailor is compelled to participate in, with the circumstances of military life being what they are, it’s an option any and all are free to take part in…

And with the ever present reality of injury and death in combat, with hardship, and with long separation from family and friends who may not understand one’s situation, religion can help provide answers to a lot of tough questions we ask ourselves in the privacy of our own heads.

“People who may be facing life and death for the first time may wonder if there’s more to life,” said Todd.

It seems some understand why religion sometimes has a unique role in the military — based on the value placed upon by the troops who practice it.

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