The armed forces

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Youngone88

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I was considering joining the armed forces. Is it possible to remain a good and faithful Catholic throughout all of it? I’m concerned about a couple of things…

I’m new to both the idea of the military and being catholic, so please forgive me for my complete ignorance on this matter.

f I had to lead, would it be morally ok for me to yell and scream at others like I see them do? Would it contradict the command to be meek, gentle, etc.? If so, how could I avoid it?

I’m also a little concerned about the whole possibility of having to kill n such… but that IS morally justified in war, right?

Any other (name removed by moderator)ut on the idea would be greatly appreciated.
 
Yes, you can still be a Catholic in the armed forces serving your country. Almost every command has Catholic services on Sunday. There’s church service everywhere around the world as well. You have to know where to look. When I was still in the service, I tried not to miss church on every Sunday unless I had duty or meeting. Sometimes, it was hard to do especially when it came to sleep. If you get to travel oversea, try to go to church on foreign soil. It’s interesting and a cultural learning experience. I’ve been to church pretty much over the world from Australia to Vietnam.

By the way, I used to be in the navy as a surface warfare officer. I’m a weekend warrior nowaday.Enjoy!
 
My DH is a weekend warrior, too, and a faithful Catholic. He occasionally volunteers for overseas tours. He can vouch for what Mugen said.

He had a fun thing happen on his last overseas tour. The priest that he befriended there turned out to have gone to seminary with (and be a close friend of) the pastor of one of our local parishes, where we sometimes go to Mass.

He enjoyed coming home and being able bring greetings from the Korea Father to the one at St. Mary’s!

God bless all our clergy,

Ruthie
 
Yes, military service is compatible with the Church and there is actually an Archdiocese for the Military Services.

A great resource for Catholic soliders is catholicmil.org

Happy Veteran’s Day!
 
The “yelling and screaming” is what we call “overhead correction” and “tactful pressure”. It’s done for training purposes and isn’t done out of wrath or hate but because it is a necessary part of military training.

Now if you become a DI on the other hand, you have to pretty much already be pure evil begin with so the yelling and screaming wont matter.
 
Yes, it is possible and worthwhile. A faithfull Catholic in any profession is a boon to the profession.
 
🙂 The military’s a great place to be Catholic…you could even discover a vocation to the priesthood! If you look into it a bit more, I think it’ll all make sense to you. Good luck and God bless!
 
Hello,

I am a non-comissioned officer in the Army Reserves who did a tour in Iraq. The yelling and screaming part of it is honestly a rarity. I have only had to do it a few times. Most of those times were when I was young in leadership and did not know how to lead any other way. Now that I have learned more leadership skills I have found different ways to approach soldiers that have issues. Granted sometimes I need to lay down the law but even with a raised voice I can still do it without personal insult or swearing.

I also find that my position of authority gives me a chance to stand up for others moral values. One day a male and a female were having a conversation in the smoking area that I overheard. He had stated that every woman had her price. Granted I knew that he didn’t mean anything by it and was speaking philosophically but I could see the female was uncomfortable. I simply interjected to the male that I had a price: My fiance’s body, mind, and soul. I got two big smiles. The point was made and shared without alienation.

I have also been able to talk to our Chaplain who is Baptist. She does a great Sunday service for us with a very good message and I do have the upmost respect for her. however, on drill weekends I often cannot make mass to get Eucharist. I approached her and she understood this as she is open-minded to other faiths as all military chaplains should be and knew it was something she could not provide. She and I are working together on getting a Eucharistic Minister to come in and supply Eucharist in addition to the service she provides.

I hope this has helped. Please feel free to PM me if you need.

God bless, and keep your HEAD DOWN!!!
 
ThatGuy said:
Now if you become a DI on the other hand, you have to pretty much already be pure evil begin with so the yelling and screaming wont matter.
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I too suspected they were devils in human form, but in my later years came to realize how wrong that impression was. They were merely poor souls who were not tough enough to be Jesuits.

Paul
 
That is very funny T700. Although they could just be angels trying to toughen up our good boys and girls so they can come home in one piece. 🤷

God bless,
 
joandarc2008 said:
That is very funny T700. Although they could just be angels trying to toughen up our good boys and girls so they can come home in one piece. 🤷

God bless,
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I suppose in hindsight you may be correct. At the time, it was difficult to see the angel when the size 13 boot was on my neck. 🙂

Paul
 
I am an officer in the Canadian military and have been in Kandahar, Afghanistan with the American Forces. There is Mass every day in the little wooden church building in Kandahar Air Field, and there are priests who travel ‘outside the wire’ to the Forward Operating Bases to celebrate Mass.
My point is that the military understands the spiritual needs of the soldiers, sailors and aircrew, and provides priests, ministers and other spiritual leaders to support your faith.
 
T700,

Just remember the Archangel Michael is a force to be reckoned with as well.

Just to tell you a little story that illustrates my point:

II am in charge of a medical section and one of the NCOs under me is one of the nice, meek, and mild. In some instances it is a great thing - in others, well you get it. I was running scenarios that played on each of their weaknesses and I was playing a psych patient. She failed to restrain me, she failed to search me, she failed to call an MP, she had everyone leave the room so she could talk to me in private… This would have been OK if in the scenario I wasn’t in the middle of a flashback. Long story short - I pulled a knife on her and told her she had just gotten herself killed by a psych patient. At the time she wasn’t too thrilled. However, during the AAR she said she would have much rather learned the lesson there in the safety of our office then in the real world with a real psych patient. Because of the way the lesson was taught, she will never forget it. This also goes to the young soldier - sometimes when we have not had the opportunity to form those bonds the easiest way in to that long term memory is scare the you-know-what out of you. It is not a feeling you tend to forget. I know I never forgot the lessons they taught me.

God bless,
 
Jesus told a Roman Centurion that not even in all of Israel had He found such faith. Also remember in Mass we say, “Lord I am not worthy to recieve You but only say the words and I shall be healed.” These are the same words that Roman Centurion told Jesus slightly modified. Check it out in Luke 7 or Matthew 8:5-13. I was in the Marines for 8 years and you will find some wonderful military priests there. God Bless!👍
 
YoungOne88,

my only concern for you are the antiCatholics:

didn’t CatholicAnswres mention this sort of thing (high-pressure evangelization from Prottestants) a while back?
 
I spent 10 years in the Army. I was combat arms. I was a Forward Observer for 2 Artillery Batteries on the Cambodian border in Vietnam…was there for 2.5 years. I spent 3 years as a Drill Instructor/Counselor at the Army’s Retraining Brigade at Fort Riley in the late 70’s.

I had no problem serving my country. I had a few qualms about the death and mayhem. But, if it a choice between you or them… If this is a concern for you, seek out a non-combat MOS (Military Occupation Specialty)…there are many of them. Each branch of the service calls them something different.

As a Drill Instructor it was my job to take former prisoners from Leavenworth, and recalcitrant 1stID soldiers and remake them into “Soldiers” who could and would restart their lives and go on to complete their time in the service “Honorably” and go home proud holding an “Honorable Discharge”. Yes occasionally I had to raise my voice for an entire group to hear me, but I would actually speak in a low tone of voice and make it hard to hear me, this caused them to “listen harder”.

I joined the Army in 1967, went to Vietnam in 1968. We had some “hardcore Drill Instructors”…some who yelled, harassed, browbeat us, and in general raised cain…and then we had those who approached it differently…and quietly. They were even more demanding. All of them had one concern: They were training us to learn how to survive in a dangerous war in a dangerous country. It had nothing to do with anything else.

Discipline is meted out in different ways by different types of leaders…but the best motivators are the ones who communicate squarely and evenly.

There is no problem being in the service as a Catholic.
 
Youngone88 said:
f I had to lead, would it be morally ok for me to yell and scream at others like I see them do? Would it contradict the command to be meek, gentle, etc.? If so, how could I avoid it?

I’m also a little concerned about the whole possibility of having to kill n such… but that IS morally justified in war, right?
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My DI in basic was a Born Again Christien who only used profanity once (extreem circumstances) and rairly spke louder than necessary to be heard by everyone.

When a leader must yell, it is important that he not actually be mad. He must be getting attention, not loosing control.

Concern about causing death is valid and important. With modern combat, even non-combat MOS’s have a chance of getting into combat situations. If you really cannot come to terms with taking another life (and some cannot), do not go into the military. You will be letting down you mates, and very probably yourself.
 
Youngone88 said:
I was considering joining the armed forces. Is it possible to remain a good and faithful Catholic throughout all of it? …

I’m also a little concerned about the whole possibility of having to kill n such… but that IS morally justified in war, right?
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Possible? Yes.

Certain? No.

One problem that only you can answer, ultimately, is whether or not you think being ordered to kill is morally acceptable and if so in what circumstances. The U.S. military does not operate according to Catholic social ethics and just war principles.And it doesn’t allow for selective conscientious objection. The Catholic Church does not teach that killing in war is simply acceptable. It may be morally justifiable (though not required), in some circumstances.

In the end, I really think that’s a tough decision that only you can answer for yourself. Good luck.
 
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