How do "no atheists in foxholes" believers explain Communists? Why didn't Communist revolutionaries want to dope themselves with the Opium of the People? (typo fixed)

My younger son was in the Army reserves, and he is an atheist. He never had any issues. Perhaps the military has become a bit more respectful of individual's beliefs than in past years. I keep coming back to the doctrine of separation of church and state - which includes the military.

I enlisted in 1985 - didn't see a lick of combat. However, during basic or AIT - I don't recall religion ever being being discussed and on Sunday while others went to church I wrote letters home, played cards or did laundry. Because I never saw combat I can't relate to what people are thinking about in fox holes but I would suspect that none of it should be taken literally. They're either saying "Oh God" or "Fk me" and if the second shouldn't be taken literally - neither should the first.

The only one I was concerned about was the guy on both sides of me because they were the ones who would look after me as I did for them.

I’m not a vet, but I am a Unitarian Universalist. Your son may find these resources helpful. Lots of UUs are atheists and agnostics. May he be safe in his service. [uua.org]

I remember being highly irritated that our choices on Sunday were either go to church or do chores around the barracks. I was in the band so we had to do a few military religious-y ceremonies, like we had to play at prayer breakfast sometimes, or Easter sunrise services. I was also stationed in Alabama so as very church-y down there. I guess it depends on how much you want to fight it. Back then I didn't realize that having to play in a religious type ceremony was not OK, they just told us to do it so we did and internally I was annoyed and thinking it was stupid, but I still had to go. Also at one point while I was fighting depression one of my supervisors took me to see a chaplain, but he didn't push religion on me. I also didn't grow up with religion so I didn't have any of those hang ups. Band people were usually smarter than a lot of the other people in the military… so there wasn't a huge talk or display of religion very often in my unit.

I participated in Desert Storm as both ground infantry and as a door gunner on a blackhawk. That was a long time ago, granted, but i wouldnt worry much about flak from his fellows. I never got any for not believing, and it was certainly discussed.

It didnt affect my views (about the existance of Big Daddy, anyway) in the slightest, even during the hairy times.