Thankful for Our Military

The United States military is made up of five branches—Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Most of us are aware of our military, but we don’t know much about why they each exist and how they function. We are thankful that some serve to protect us, but we don’t know exactly how they do that. So, today, I thought I’d give you a short lesson on 4 of the 5 U.S. military branches of service. You can read more about all of them by clicking here.

The U. S. Army is our military’s land warfare branch. They were established on June 14, 1775 as the Continental Army. That was the army that fought the Revolutionary War. The army is the largest branch of the military, by far, with over 1 million in our fighting force. The mission of the U. S. Army is “to fight and win our Nation’s wars, by providing prompt, sustained, land dominance, across the full range of military operations and the spectrum of conflict, in support of combatant commanders.” They are primarily a defensive force.

The U. S. Marine Corps came into existence on November 10, 1775 and their distinction was to be equipped to fight on land or on sea. It is the smallest branch of the service with just over 200,000 troops. Their responsibilities include “seizure or defense of advanced naval bases and other land operations to support naval campaigns. Additionally, they provide development of tactics, technique, and equipment used by amphibious landing forces in coordination with the Army and Air Force.” They are considered an elite fighting force and are the expeditionary arm of the military.

The U. S. Navy was born October 13, 1775. They are the naval warfare branch of the military and the largest and best equipped navy in the world. It has almost a half a million individuals in service. The U. S. Navy exists “to win conflicts and wars while maintaining security and deterrence through sustained forward presence.The U.S. Navy’s functions comprise sea control, power projection and nuclear deterrence.” Deterrence or preventing war and preventing the escalation of war is a primary duty of our Navy.

The U. S. Air Force came into being on September 18, 1947, as a separate fighting force. Prior to that, the USAF was a part of the U. S. Army. As with our Navy, it is the most advanced air force in the world today. It is comprised of apx. 321,000 in active duty. Their purpose is “to preserve the peace and security, and provide for the defense, of the United States, the Territories, Commonwealths, and possessions, and any areas occupied by the United States; and to overcome any nations responsible for aggressive acts that imperil the peace and security of the United States.” It is our offensive force and is often sent in to show the power of the U. S. Armed Services against an aggression. 

“Give praise to the Lord, my Rock. He trains my hands for war. He trains my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and is like a fort to me. He is my place of safety and the God who saves me. He is like a shield that keeps me safe. He brings nations under my control. (Psalm 144:1-2; NIRV)

Give Him 15 minutes in prayer:

• Thank the Lord for the U. S. Armed Forces, which protect our citizens from aggression from other nations.
• Thank Him for the more than 2 million individuals on active duty across all branches of service.
• Thank Him for the family members who serve right alongside their spouses and parents, sacrificing stable lifestyles for constant upheaval for the sake of that defense.
• Pray for each branch of service as outlined above, thanking God for the strength of each branch and their ability to function optimally for the defense of our freedom.

A prayer you can pray:

God, You are a mighty man of war, according to the Word. You train us to war in intercession. We choose to use those weapons of warfare to intercede today in thanksgiving for members of our U. S. military. We live safe and free, because of all of those who serve in the armed forces of America. It is a sacrifice we do not take lightly. Each of their lives and the lives of their spouses and children matter to You. They each sacrifice much for the rest of us. We are thankful for their work to defend, protect, search out, and attack any threat to our national security. We pray for the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. Keep each one strong, well-funded, and able to do what they do in unity and with cutting edge technology. Keep giving their leadership wisdom. Provide scientists, contractors, and others supporting them, witty inventions and ideas that will keep our nation’s military the very best in the world. Thank you that we help keep other nations free, as well. Thank you for our Armed Forces, Jesus. Amen.

Today’s decree:

We are thankful for the U.S. Armed Forces, who work hard to search out, prevent, defend against, and attack the aggression of any nations seeking to harm our citizens.