Christ our True God, who loves mankind, look down with mercy and compassion upon every soldier who is facing a daily struggle with war, aggression and terrorism. Each one desires to live before Thee, and be ever protected by Thy Right Hand. Preserve them, we humbly pray, and watch over them every given hour. Guide their steps; give wisdom and discernment to all who are in leadership, that Thy will may prevail, and that they may return safely to their homes and loved ones.

We beg Thee to hear the cry coming from our hearts, dear Lord Jesus Christ. We know that we are surrounded by many dangers. We are frightened as destruction; pain and death seem so near. We hurt with those who are hurting, and grieve with those who grieve, whether on the battlefield or in their homes.

Draw us closer to Thee, we pray. Grant to us and to each soldier the desire to say as the Psalmist did, "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.' He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings thou shalt take refuge." (Psalm 91)

In Thy righteousness forgive us as we continue in the defense of our beloved country. Watch over those whom we love, our wives, our children, relatives, and friends, as well as all civil authorities. May Thy guiding Spirit be with those who govern us. Bless our country America , our allies, and all those who love freedom, peace, and good will among all men.

May Thy mercy be ever granted to us, for without fear but with love, humility, and obedience do we turn to Thee, that we may be strengthened, stand firm, and live.

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God:
have mercy on us and save us.

Below is a list of links of organizations that provide services to military personnel, with a brief explanation of what they do. The titles of these programs are linked to the websites themselves:

Contact your local Red Cross chapter and find out how you can help the military families in your area who are struggling in this time of war.

Homes for our Troops

Their mission is to build specially adapted homes for our severely disabled soldiers and their families. Since they started this organization, they have had an outpouring of support from all across America including monetary donations, donations of building materials and equipment, and fundraisers being hosted
in their benefit.

The "Wounded Warrior" project seeks to assist those men and women of our armed forces who have been severely injured during the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere around the world. Many of the injuries are traumatic amputations, gunshot wounds, burns and blast injuries that will retire these brave warriors from military service. These wounded soldiers will return to civilian life minus one or more limbs, or with serious wounds or disfiguring scars, and will face greater challenges today obtaining assistance and finding opportunities that would enable them to provide for themselves and their families.

provides soldier contacts, and you read through the names and select the ones you wish to support based on their lists of what they need and want. AnySoldier even has a search capability so you can easily identify specific
needs and requests.

AnySoldier also has guides for "What to Send and How to Send" to help you properly send letters and packages, and a FAQ page. This effort is 110% voluntary. You send your support, and maybe some stuff, directly to whatever unit or units you want.

If you would like to send books to soldiers, check out BooksForSoldiers.com where soldiers will post requests for books they'd like to get their hands on and all you have to do is pick a soldier to send a book to. And that's just one of the many great ways BooksForSoldiers.com is helping out the troops.

Operation Iraqi Children is a grassroots organization co-founded by actor Gary Sinise and best-selling author of "Seabiscuit: An American Legend," Laura Hillenbrand. Operation Iraqi Children was inspired by conversations with Operation Iraqi Freedom soldiers as well as by Sinise’s recent tour of Iraq. OiC encourages ordinary citizens to send school supplies to Iraqi children.

The Fisher House program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America's military in their time of need. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Department of Defense. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful time -- during the hospitalization for an unexpected
illness, disease, or injury.

There are currently 31 houses located on the grounds of every major military medical center and several VA medical centers. These houses play a key role and are a vital asset to our military by allowing them to care for casualties, and their families, from Operation Enduring Freedom and will play a critical role in caring for casualties from Operation Iraqi Freedom as well.

It is our goal to create "a home away from home" that allows guest families the opportunity to address any challenge they must face during a time of crisis with dignity, and to give them a sense that there really are those who care about them
in their time of need.

Donations to Fisher House will go to the upkeep of existing Fisher House locations, to a fund for families who have lost a son, daughter, husband, wife, father or mother, and also to building a new Fisher House at Walter Reed Hospital where many of those injured in Iraq are now being treated.

Leave a message in tribute and support for the men and women injured
in the war.

You can donate calling cards so military families can stay in touch during
their extended separations.

Through Operation Hero Miles you can donate your airline miles to American soldiers so they can get home to visit with their families.

You can donate money to the USO to help sponsor care packages sent to the troops.

Each branch of the Armed Services has an emergency relief fund. Their money goes to help the soldiers and families with paying for food and rent, medical and dental expenses, personal needs when pay is delayed, and funeral expenses.

Army Emergency Relief supports the families in the United States Army, as well as the members of the US National Guard and the Army Reserve.

This organization accepts donations at any of their locations across the country.

This organization helps to relieve financial distress of Air Force members and their families and to assist them in financing their higher education goals.