"I didn't join to seek revenge on the Taliban or to kill anyone, I joined to make a difference. It's in no way stupid to pray for my enemy. God said to love our enemies. Now I realize my mission as a Marine, and I won't hesitate to do what I must, but I don't think that interferes with my mission to love them. The way I see it, my responsibility to love them comes with the opportunities God provides. My biblical example would be David and how he spared Saul's life when he had the opportunity to kill him in his sleep. The opportunities I see before me to love my enemy are these: As you said, to pray for them; to defend them if they surrender; to offer them aid when they are injured and unarmed; to care for the ones we may take captive; and to forgive them, whatever they may do to me because they fight for something they believe in as strongly as I do. And from there, I can only hope and pray that God uses that, His love manifested in me to minister to them and open their eyes to what they are fighting, and who. How God uses me is completely in His hands. How I live my life to love my enemy the way He loved me is in mine. So I plan to pray for them, everyday, and every time before I leave the wire to go on patrol, that I may walk with eyes open to His doors, His opportunities to share Christ's love."
-LCPL Joel Nathan Christensen
3/3 India Company, 2nd Platoon
Unit 44080
