Patriotism and Religion are equivocated and conflated in the United States. There seems to actually be a movement to support the Idea. Our government is not a theocracy in form but rather application.

I find most aspects of religion, war, and nationalism to be disturbing. Why should any of them be praised, advocated, or facilitated? It's a loaded issue with many moving parts though.

I'm a veteran myself who happens to be an atheist and I object to any encroachment of religion into our secular government.

I am an 81 year old vet, and it would bother me too.

My dad was in a VA hospice for 2 years. Yes, everything seems to be surrounded by prayer and the singing of the national anthem. I just figured that most of these vets were still of religious persuasion or were so indoctrinated into the process that it seemed natural to them. I never took it as good soldier for Christ though. I think it is just more of the same denying the separation of church and state and that bothers me

It is an outrage. Religion makes it ok to murder for the state & is then rewarded for it.

I am active duty and will say it is getting a little better. When I was enlisted in the 90s, there was definately a shaming for non religious members, even if subtle. Admittedly, I was religious at the time. However, I was able to leave "so help me god" out of the oath years later when I commissioned and when I promoted to Captain. There is a chaplain who leads a prayer at just about every military ceremony and I like to use this as an opportunity to locate the other non-believers by looking around the room to see who else has their head up. There is a slight appreciation that not all military members are religious, which is likely a fairly new appreciation, but there is a long way to go.

This is a religious country. We like or no like.

Easier to send someone to their death when you can promise so many rewards when they die

It's all political propaganda. It's flag waving to distract us from the fact these damaged people have been callously used by the ruling class to further their imperialist goals.

It is understandable, if inconsiderate, that a Christian would grapple with the death and war in terms of their familiar metaphors and tropes. Gradually, they are figuring out that this is a diverse society in which, as a matter of fact, their majority status is fading, but it's a slow process.

Must be a bit awkward for Jewish and other vets.