Prayer in World War II Song

There are many examples of the important role religious faith played in the history of our country, despite the voices today who might deny that. When I was in public school some of this was still taught in history classes, but it is gradually being purged from textbooks.

It has been said that "there are no atheists in foxholes" - meaning when you life is at stake, a belief in God has a more real quality than when you were a kid praying for a new red bike for your birthday. Similar sentiment was expressed in a song by Harold Adamson and Jimmie McHugh: Coming in On a Wing and a Prayer. It evokes mental images of a damaged warplane heading toward its home base and a crew trying to keep the plane together and praying to God their efforts are a success. It was one of several songs the team wrote that become popular in WWII. Such was the effect of the music that President Truman awarded the writers the Presidential Certificate of Merit.

Another example is the song Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition, written in WWII by Frank Loesser. War is simply one of the circumstances that may call up one's faith more strongly than more everyday experiences.

Read more about
Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer
and
Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition