Tom Neven - On the Frontline: A Personal Guidebook for the Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Challenges of Military Life

No tactical field manual will help you when the bullets are flying if you dont have your head on straight, and that is where On the Frontline comes in. Read it. Take it to heart. Youll be glad you did.

C HUCK H OLTON , author, army ranger, and CBN adventure correspondent

Gods word and On the Frontline are a must in order to lead a complete and victorious life as a Christian warrior. Dont deploy without Tom Nevens operational manual on Christian living in the military!

L T . G ENERAL B RUCE L. F ISTER, USAF ( RETIRED ), executive director of Officers Christian Fellowship of the USA

Tom Neven offers clear and concise answers to the questions and concerns that plague military members and their families. This book needs to be on every frontline reading list of military members from every branch of the service.

E LLIE K AY , best-selling author of Heroes at Home and keynote speaker for the Heroes at Home World Tour

If youre looking for Gods answers to mans dilemmas, this book is a great toolparticularly for the men and women on Americas frontlines.

C OLONEL J EFF OL EARY, USAF ( RETIRED ), FOX News military analyst

Tom Neven steels the heart and soul for the warfare, both worldly and spiritual, that awaits the warrior. Neven speaks with the wisdom and authority of a scout who has walked the trail and knows how to get to the objective without falling prey to the enemy.

L T . C OLONEL G ARY W ALSH , U.S. A RMY ( RETIRED ), infantry and legal officer who served combat tours in Grenada and Somalia

O N THE F RONTLINE
P UBLISHED BY W ATER B ROOK P RESS
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921
A division of Random House Inc.

This book is not intended to replace the medical advice of a trained medical professional. Readers are advised to consult a physician or other qualified health-care professional regarding treatment of their medical problems. The author and publisher specifically disclaim liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use or application of any of the contents of this book.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the King James Version. Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Italics in Scripture quotations indicate the authors added emphasis.

Details in some anecdotes and stories have been changed to protect the identities of the persons involved.

Copyright 2006 by Tom Neven

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

W ATER B ROOK and its deer design logo are registered trademarks of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Neven, Tom, 1956

On the frontline : a personal guidebook for the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges of military life / Tom Neven. 1st ed.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-49959-2
1. SoldiersReligious life. 2. Christian life. I. Title.
BV4588.N48 2006
248.88dc22

2006026644

v3.1

To my son, Joshua, lover of all things military,
who had the great foresight to be born on the
Marine Corps birthday, November 10.
And to my wife, Colette, and daughter, Hannah,
thanks for your patience as I worked on this project.

I received tremendous help in researching this book from many members of the U.S. military, both past and present. I would like to thank in particular Lieutenant Commander Steve Sauders, First Lieutenant Adam Mo rehouse, Staff Sergeant Toph Bailey, Sergeant Les Shaw, Colonel Paul Meredith, Captain Luke Haverstick, First Lieutenant Blake Smith, Captain Krista Jekielek, John Thurman, and Tom Iannucci for their invaluable contributions. Thanks also to Chuck Milligan, Chuck Holton (Lets go exploring!), Leon Lowman, and Ellie and Bob Kay for their help and friendship.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore,
having girded your waist with the truth,
having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
and having shod your feet with the preparation
of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the
shield of faith with which you will be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

E PHESIANS 6:13-17, NKJV

Service in our armed forces demands a depth of character. Men and women who can reach deep within themselves and draw upon an inner strength, borne of faith, have always carried the day against those of lesser character. When the battlefield is chaotic and horror is all about, it is those who have taken care to build their character who emerge victorious.

Cowardliness in ones character will sooner or later manifest itself in other forms of cowardliness. Those who have the courage to face up to the ethical challenges in their daily lives will find that same courage can be drawn upon in times of great stress and in times of battle.

So, who are you really? What do you stand for? What is the essence of your character?

Every day we make decisions. Every day presents each of us with a prescribed amount of time and new circumstances and choices. How we fill that time and how we deal with those circumstances and choices are key to our character development. Quite simply, we are the ones who define who we are and who we will be. We choose our character, we develop our character, and we build our character by making right choices. Integrity, trustworthiness, selflessness, loyalty, and dependability all help provide a firm foundation.

For Christians, the cornerstone to the foundation of character is faith. As Paul said to the Ephesians, above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one (Ephesians 6:16, NKJV) . Living your faith will strengthen the decision-making process and lead to right decisions when you are faced with tough choices.

As you serve your nation, support for your faith will come from many sources. One such source is Tom Nevens book On the Frontline. I encourage you to read and re-read this book. It provides biblical wisdom, help, hope, and encouragement for your day-to-day life in service to God and country.

General Charles C. Krulak, USMC (retired)
31st Commandant of the Marine Corps