Pray in Combat When Your Mind Is Off

Martin Latigue drafted in the Army in November 1963 was proud to serve his country in Vietnam. Like so many other young men of his generation he did so with honor. In this memoir he looks back at growing up in small-town America only to end up fighting a war thousands of miles away. While in the Army he overcame his prejudices and learned to love his Army brothers—all of them. He watched many of them die at the Battle of Ia Drang which was the first major engagement between regular U.S. and North Vietnamese troops. Even though the author had always prayed he had a hard time doing so while in combat. The words did not come easily to his mind. All he could think about was that he would die in battle. He thanked God for the hard training he received. He asked God to forgive him of his sins. His prayers were short—and he called out the name of Jesus over and over.