Stories of faith among the fighters of World War II
The celebration of World War II veterans as “the greatest generation” for their courage and duty paid little attention to their Christianity, a vacuum filled by a new collection of war stories from a faith perspective.
The book, “Faith Under Fire,” recounts the Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox experiences of men on the front lines and how they and their families overcame the fear and bitterness of war — and in many cases took up religious work afterward.
“I could have filled five books with the stories,” said Colorado author Steve Rabey, who settled on 21 representative accounts….
Mr. Rabey said his research showed that while the young men and women of that era willingly took on the burdens of war, they were not necessarily a more pious generation.
“These young people had been raised with at least a minimal knowledge and respect for the teachings of the Christian faith before they had been plucked from the farm and sent off to serve in faraway places,” he said in an interview.
“For some, Christianity only became real to them when they faced the prospects of sudden annihilation,” he said.