Friday February 3, 2012









Armed Forces

Armed Forces

During his famous Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln said that America is a nation “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” He proceeded to question whether or not such a nation “can long endure.” The testing ground for such a nation, as he observed, was not in the halls of academia or before the high courts. Rather, Americans prove defend their nation’s existence on the field of battle.

Since the conception of America, the United States military has stood as a line of defense between the American people and those who would see this great land conquered. During World War 2, it was the American military that crumbled the fascist war machines of Europe. Even today in Iraq and Afghanistan, our troops are fighting to rid the world of the disease that is radical militant Islam.

Edmund Burke once said “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” The United States military is our nation’s promise to both ourselves and our neighbors that evil will never triumph.

The men and women who volunteer to stand downrange of enemy fire deserve our prayers.

Through the “Adopt our Troops” program, you can both register and adopt a specific member of America’s armed forces in prayer. What greater gift could you provide these troops than intercession on behalf of our omnipotent God?

Please take the time to adopt one of these soldiers and pray for them every day. If you know a specific member of the military, please register them. More than anything we could personally give them, our troops need our support through prayer.

Featured Member of the Armed Forces for Prayer

PrayFocusArmedForcesKathryn A. Condon, Executive Director, Army National Cemeteries Program

Kathryn A. Condon received her BA from the University of Rochester in New York, and an MBA from Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. She received additional education at the Army Management Staff College.

She was a Revenue Officer for the Internal Revenue Service, before becoming involved with activities on behalf of the U.S. Army. Since employed by the Army she has worked at West Point, Fort Belvoir, and in offices at the Pentagon. She was the first civilian Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. She was the Deputy to the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, and oversaw one of the largest commands in the Army, with more than 50,000 employees in 149 locations worldwide, including more than 40 states and 38 countries.

Prior to her current assignment, Ms. Condon served as the Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Army, as an adviser responsible for researching, analyzing and development commendations on national security and Army strategic issues and trends.

She was elected for the Senior Executive Service in 1997, and became the Executive Director of the Army National Cemeteries Program in June 2010.

IN THE NEWS: A process to address problems and deficiencies at Arlington National Cemetery was the subject of a Senate Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight, Committee of Homeland Security and Government Affairs, along with the Department of the Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office. Issues of improper burials, unmarked sites, and discarded remains were brought before Congress over the last couple of years. Said Ms. Condon, “Arlington has made monumental changes in the last 19 months and we continue to move forward each and every day, putting our progress with respectable processes with predictable results.” Some of their activities include completing a review and accounting of all gravesites and inurement niches at Arlington, and creating defined accountability processes integrated into Arlington’s daily operations and rigorous employee training. They are also working with state-of-the-art technology for all record-keeping. Among the national cemeteries in the United States, Arlington is unique. It is the only national cemetery that routinely holds graveside services and provides full military honors for eligible veterans. There are more than 4 million visitors annually, and approximately 27-30 funeral services per day, five days a week.