‘Father, basically God came down to earth and in the form of Christ and died for our sins—right?’ Al asked. The chaplain nodded. ‘And he died a painful death, but he knew he was going to heaven—right?’ Again the chaplain nodded. ‘So how is that sacrifice greater than a soldier in this valley who has no idea whether he’s going to heaven?’ According to Al, the chaplain had no useful response. Religion gives a man enough courage to face the overwhelming, and there may have been so little religion at Restrepo because the men didn’t feel particularly overwhelmed. (Why appeal to God when you can
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