"God" has connotations of being perfect, all knowing, with infinite love for all life. A creator however leaves the options open and allows us to pray not necessarily out of fear but from a place that knows we are more than just this one life and there are things going on behind the scenes that we cannot possibly gain enough knowledge to understand it all. I pray because I believe that it is "faith" that makes prayers work. There is scientific evidence that prayer does work but it does not matter what "God" is being prayed to. Maybe it isn't much different than writing a letter to a congressman or taking a placebo but prayer does work.
With that said, I have ruled out religion based on their contradictions. IF there is a God then we were each uniquely designed so what...we can all go to a church and be forced to give up the free will they told us we have and perform rituals of worship? Ruling out religion should not be enough to rule out intelligent design especially when we consider all the things we create or clone!

I think the main reasons anyone prays is either fear, or just to feel good about themselves without actually doing anything.

If you feel a need to pray, by all means pray. Find that that you are looking for. If it brings you clarity it is a good thing. Always keep an open mind. That is what got you to this point.

If someone wants to give me good luck or vibes or whatever they want to call it I’ll take it. What does it hurt? As far as prayer, it has been said that prayer can be compared with meditation and is calming or soothing. Whether you are praying to a gawd or not is up to you...

Seems like more issues than National Geographic - don't know what to tell you Bro.
For what it's worth - I pray every night - No idea to what to - but I still do. I REFUSE to give homage to a church god. What I pray to cannot be comprehended by mortal man. All I know is what I DON'T know. Find your own peace and take comfort in it

IDK, so you? If making it back is your only criteria for belief, tho I'm glad you did, is seems a pretty flimsy basis to build upon. It's obviously been some time since then. What are your thoughts now? Also, how many have prayed & didn't come back? How about the Cong or NVA? Do you think some of them may have prayed, too? & another also,...In a conflict like that, why would god be on your side, rather than helping to end the conflict? If you're here, you must have answered some of this for yourself, already.

First thank you for your service. Second I haven’t been through any even close to that. I have been in so scary situations but have never prayed or even thought to pray or about go during the situations. And third do really think a god would take sides during a war where both sides committed such horrible atrocities. Well yeah you might be right the Abrahamic god is a sadistic bastard he would have enjoyed the whole thing.

I say a lot of "Universe please be on my side today".

It is way more plea then prayer when I resort to that.

I'm sure you've heard "There are no atheists in foxholes". I don't know that it's true?

It's not that we stop wanting help - we stop believing someone is listening,

Backsliding is allowed.

I used to 'escape' basic by going to the post church. I could never understand god's love through the eyes of a drill sergeant..........
I don't have the same credentials you do, so you may not like my opinion.
There is a distifnct difference between the military god and civilian. I went to a foursquare church in my youth and taught violence is bad. In the military, violence is warranted to bring stability.

Yes

Courage is not the absence of fear. When in extreme jeopardy, one can be forgiven a little "insurance". In any case it might have comforted some of the other men with you.

Why does this haunt you? Because you see it as weakness, or because you think it was god showing himself and you didn't ... I don't know ... repent or something?

You had a chance of being right about it being a likely bloodbath, and a chance of being wrong (and/or very lucky). So that you came back with minimal damage was hardly a deity showing its hand. Certainly not any particular deity. Maybe it was Shiva or Thor that answered the prayer.

Naw, you just had a slight attack of dyslexia: there you were, with dog by your side.

I never went through anything as intense as that, but I would say sometimes people pray out of habit. What they were taught as children, and did in certain situations, may come back in times of great stress or fear, when thinking clearly isn't easy.