List of Prayers for Veterans Days

• Veterans Day: A Soldier's Prayer
• Veterans Day: A Memorial Day Prayer - By Rev. Dick Kozelka
• Veterans Day: Memorial Day Prayer - By Barbara J. Pescan
• Veterans Day Prayer
  
• Veterans: A Paratroopers Prayer - By Chaplain George B. Wood
• Prayer for Veterans Day - Adapted from http://www.educationforjustice.org
• Veterans Day Prayer and Meditation - By Susan Kramer

Veterans Day: A Marine's Prayer

Almighty Father, whose command is over all and whose love never fails,
Make me aware of Thy presence and obedient to Thy will.

Keep me true to my best self, guarding me against dishonesty in purpose or deed and
Helping me to live so that I can face my fellow Marines, my loved ones, and Thee without fear.

Protect my family. Give me the will to do the work of a Marine, and to accept my share of
Responsibilities with vigor and enthusiasm.

Grant me the courage to be proficient in my daily performance.

Keep me loyal and faithful to my superiors and to the duties my country and the Marine Corps
Have entrusted to me. Make me considerate of those entrusted to my leadership.

Help me to wear my uniform with dignity, and let it remind me daily of the
Traditions I must uphold. If I am inclined to doubt, steady my faith.

If I am tempted, make me strong to resist.
If I should miss my mark, give me the courage to try again.

Guide me with the light of truth and give grant me wisdom by which I may understand
The answer to my prayer.

Amen.

Veterans Day: A Soldier's Prayer

Lord, I ask for courage;
Courage to face and
Conquer my own fears,
Courage to take me where
Others will not go...

I ask for strength,
Strength of body to protect others,
Strength of spirit to lead others.
I ask for dedication,
Dedication to do my job, and do it well.
Dedication to my country,
To keep it safe.

Give me, Lord, concern;
For those who trust me,
And compassion, for those who need me.
And, please Lord, through it all
Be by my side.

Veterans Day: A Memorial Day Prayer

By Rev. Dick Kozelka

Eternal God,
Creator of years, of centuries,
Lord of whatever is beyond time,
Maker of all species and master of all history --
How shall we speak to you
from our smallness and inconsequence?
Except that you have called us to worship you
in spirit and in truth;
You have dignified us with loves and loyalties;
You have lifted us up with your loving kindnesses.
Therefore we are bold to come before you without groveling
[though we sometimes feel that low]
and without fear
[though we are often anxious].
We sing with spirit and pray with courage
because you have dignified us;
You have redeemed us from the aimlessness
of things' going meaninglessly well.
God, lift the hearts of those
for whom this holiday is not just diversion,
but painful memory and continued deprivation.
Bless those whose dear ones have died
needlessly, wastefully [as it seems]
in accident or misadventure.
We remember with compassion those who have died
serving their countries
in the futility of combat.
There is none of us but must come to bereavement and separation,
when all the answers we are offered
fail the question death asks of each of us.
We believe that you will provide for us
as others have been provided with the fulfillment of
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

Veterans Day: Memorial Day Prayer

By Barbara J. Pescan
Source: Morning Watch - Skinner House Books 1999
Copyright: The author has given permission to reprint this piece for use in public worship. Any reprints must acknowledge the name of the author.

Spirit of Life
whom we have called by many names
in thanksgiving and in anguish—

Bless the poets and those who mourn
Send peace for the soldiers who did not make the wars
but whose lives were consumed by them

Let strong trees grow above graves far from home
Breathe through the arms of their branches
The earth will swallow your tears while the dead sing
“No more, never again, remember me.”

For the wounded ones, and those who received them back,
let there be someone ready when the memories come
when the scars pull and the buried metal moves
and forgiveness for those of us who were not there
for our ignorance.

And in us, veterans in a forest of a thousand fallen promises,
let new leaves of protest grow on our stumps.

Give us courage to answer the cry of humanity’s pain
And with our bare hands, out of full hearts,
with all our intelligence
let us create the peace.

Veterans Day Prayer

Day is done, gone the sun, from the lakes,From the hills, from the sky, all is well,Safely rest, God is nigh. Fading light, dims the sight, And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright, From afar, drawing nigh, falls the night. Thanks and praises, for our days, Neath the stars, neath the sky,As we go, this we know, God is neigh.

Veterans: A Paratroopers Prayer

By Chaplain George B. Wood

Almighty God, Our Heavenly Father; Who art above us and beneath us, within and around us; Drive from our minds of our paratroops any fear of the space in which Thou art ever present. Give them confidence in the strength of Thine Everlasting arms to uphold them. Endure them with clear minds and pure hearts that they may participate worthily in the victory which this nation must achieve in Thy name through Thy will. Make them hardy soldiers of our country as well as of Thy Son, Our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Prayer for Veterans Day

Adapted from http://www.educationforjustice.org
Veterans Day is celebrated in the United States. Concurrently with other countries, it is called Remembrance Day in Canada, Australia and U.K., and Armistice Day in New Zealand and France. (from Wikipedia.Org)

Lord Jesus,
Today, we are sorrowful before you. The tally of U.S. military personnel who have died in Iraq has recently exceeded 2,800 men and women. Our hearts weep for the horror and destruction of war and the loss of life caused by it. We ask your forgiveness for not maintaining the peaceful world you desire, and we pray for all the victims of war:

We pray for U.S. soldiers who are returning home. We are grateful for their service and commitment.
Be with them, Lord.

We pray for mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, daughters, and sons who mourn the death of a U.S. soldier they love.
Be with them, Lord.

We pray for parents, children, brothers, and sisters in Iraq who mourn the deaths of loved ones.
Be with them, Lord.

We pray for the soldiers who are still in Iraq and Afghanistan. Protect them and keep them safe.
Be with them, Lord.

We pray for Iraqi civilians who deal with the daily terror of living amidst flying bullets, suicide bombings, and destruction.
Be with them, Lord.

We pray for our policymakers and leaders who hold the futures of hundreds of thousands of American and Iraqi lives in their hands. Give them wisdom, integrity, and strength as they make important decisions.
Be with them, Lord.

Lord God, keep in our minds our sisters and brothers across the world, both soldiers and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, and those who are returning to the U.S. Help us to be committed to prayer, solidarity, and action to ensure that returning soldiers are well-cared for and to seek an effective end to the war that has brought destruction to so many
lives.

Amen.

Veterans Day Prayer and Meditation

By Susan Kramer, BellaOnline

You gave for peace with courage
That families may be free
So children could grow strong
And safe they'd ever be.
photo credit Susan Kramer
In giving for the sake of peace
You may have suffered loss
Your body may still show its wounds
From taking up the cause.

May remembrance of your time away
Your sacrifice for peace
Spur us on to strive more strongly
For freedom, that there'll be release.

From causes that sent some away
To fight that we may freely live
With gratefulness we thank you, veterans
For all you gave and give!