Onward, Christian Soldier

July 15, 1987, Fort Benning, Georgia, at 0500h, and I begin to stir. As I stretch out my arms and yawn in full bloom, my thoughts turn to Mom frying some bacon and eggs while I mix some Nesquik for a tall glass of chocolate milk. Just then, I hear several unfamiliar sounds as shadows hurriedly scurry around me. As I open my sleep-marred eyes, I’m assaulted by a sea of bunk beds and the stale smell of green wool blankets. It was only then I realized I was no longer in the country setting of Shelby, Ohio. I was now in the army. Dear God, what have I gone and done? Thirty years later, I entered retirement on February 1, 2018. Still, that scene from 1987 is forever seared in my brain as one of the first memories of my twenty-four years in service. Over those twenty-four years, parents routinely called upon me for my opinion on military service. As someone who began as a full-time soldier and then transitioned into a citizen soldier, I have had many contacts with individuals and families who were not familiar with military life. I would often get something like this, “Hey, Jim, my son is thinking about going into the military, and I think the discipline would be good for him. So what are your thoughts?” I would normally reply, “Well, yes, he’ll get some discipline, but he might also become an alcoholic.” As you might guess, that normally was followed by an awkward pause and bewildered look. Here’s what I’ve noticed with well-meaning Christians interested in the service and conservative Christian families who have children who are thinking about joining: They’re often a bit naive about what comes along with donning the uniform. I believe many have WWII ticker-tape parades in their minds where everyone’s waving flags and chanting “USA! USA!” They can see their young man/woman coming home with their new haircut, fancy uniform, all excited about their first duty station, etc. But ladies and gentlemen, we’re in a new century, and things have dramatically changed in our nation and in our world. To be sure, service to the county is still needed—desperately needed. But what exactly is little Johnny getting himself into by enlisting in good old Uncle Sam’s military? That’s a question that needs to be seriously pondered before taking yourself, your son, or daughter to the all-too-eager recruiter downtown. So this little book is an attempt to give you a bird’s-eye view of what military life looks and smells like and to stir the stick a bit in your brain, to cause you to pause and assess things, and just maybe to prepare you for future challenges of military service. Personally, I think I came out of the womb wanting to be a soldier. I can remember conducting security patrols around our home in the country as a third grader with plastic M16 at the ready. I might add that due to little Jimmy’s patrolling, we never suffered any losses while living on Hazlebrush Road! Was this inclination placed in my bony chest by my Creator, or was it because of my D-Day vet, two-time Purple Heart recipient, Grandpa Tommy Lee Williams, who used to sit me on his knee as he watched Combat reruns? Personally, I believe God, in his providence, placed a desire in my heart for the military as a young lad and placed me into a family where my grandpa’s past helped guide my steps, along with a heaping help from John Wayne and Stallone’s John Rambo, I might add! I was a young man chomping at the bit to jump out of airplanes and see the world back then. Yes, we still need young motivated men and women with visions of being hard-charging infantry paratroopers, combat engineers, helicopter pilots, and a host of other military jobs. But as a Christian, who holds a biblical worldview and whose ultimate aim is to glorify Christ, how do we do this or should we even enter military service? I hope to give some biblical insight into this subject and what I have gleaned over my twenty-four-year career in the army. The service isn’t for everyone, but it is for many. Might you or one of your children be one? Going forward, Master Sergeant Kennard will share a few pointers for all of you, potential soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and “coastees.” Just as important, this E-8 hopes to impart some spiritual intel I’ve gathered over my three decades of serving Christ. Also, as you’re reading and you see a military acronym or some military jargon in italics, look in the glossary at the back of the book for clarification. Know that my view of the military has been shaped by my experience as an 11B infantryman and from twelve years spent as a 37F psychological operations sergeant. I know most who come into the service don’t jump out of airplanes and have no desire to go days on end with little to no sleep humping a fifty-pound ruck across the globe, but that’s precisely what Private Jimmy wanted to do. The army didn’t fail to deliver on its end. So even if Combat Arms has zero appeal to you, or if you’re looking into another branch of service, there’s a job that fits your God-given inclinations. But this book, for good or ill, is written from the perspective of a retired master sergeant who bleeds army green: amen and airborne!