Apparently, no religious display is too small, too remote, or too isolated to escape the wrath of the ACLU. Even the smallest hint of religion seems to send its lawyers scrambling. This time, the display under attack is a memorial that was constructed to honor American heroes who gave their lives in war.

The Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial was erected in 1934. It is a single cross that sits high on a lonely rock in California’s Mojave Desert. Most would probably consider a cross out in the middle of nowhere to be relatively harmless, but unfortunately this rock was not so remote as to escape the critical gaze of Frank Buono—a resident of another state. Buono was so offended by the existence of this cross on government land that he decided to file suit. With the help of the ACLU, Buono’s case has made its way to the Supreme Court. Arguments will be heard on October 7.

Buono and the ACLU may find it offensive, but religious observances have been a part of the American military since the founding of our republic.

Throughout the American Revolution, Washington’s troops were ordered to attend religious services, to solicit divine help, and to thank God for victories. Washington’s public references to God were almost always nondenominational, and he made deliberate efforts to accommodate religious diversity in the army. But his respect for religious freedom did not undermine his view that religion was an important aspect of military life. When ordering thanksgiving or prayer, he expected his soldiers to participate with "all due reverance," "with the most unfeigned Devotion," and with an "unfeigned, and pious observance of their religious duties." At one point during the war, Washington outfitted a squadron of warships. These ships carried a flag with a phrase across the top: "An Appeal to Heaven."

The Continental Congress tacitly approved of Washington’s attitude by continuing to provide public funding for army chaplains and by occasionally calling for the observance of official days of prayer and thanksgiving.

This reliance upon divine help continued through the years. Chaplains are perhaps the most obvious and important example of this facet of military life. About 25,000 chaplains have served the U.S. army since 1775. Four hundred of these chaplains have lost their lives in battle. Today, the army includes more than 2,700 chaplains representing at least 130 different religious groups. But religious expression in the military is not limited to the existence of chaplains.

Other religious traditions have come about for a variety of reasons: some formal, some informal. For instance, at least one service motto references God. It declares: "In God we trust: All others we monitor." Until the 1972 case of Anderson v. Laird, cadets were required to attend chapel at West Point, the Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy. Veterans’ memorials in Arlington Cemetery and elsewhere include religious imagery, including crosses. The flag folding ceremony used in military funerals includes references to eternal life, trust in God, and certain Jewish and Christian beliefs. Pre-meal prayers are often given in military settings.

Of course, many of these practices have come under attack (or even been declared unconstitutional) in recent years, but the recent controversy should not detract from a larger truth: Public uses of religion were generally accepted as a permissible, even valuable, aspect of military life for the vast majority of our nation’s history.

The men and women in our military are placed in situations far outside the experience of most civilians. They place their lives on the line and make life and death decisions as a matter of course. Many of them would agree with the conclusions reached during Washington’s lifetime: Religion in the military serves a public purpose. It sustains the morale of soldiers and reinforces their virtue and morality. Public time and resources are validly spent on religious activities because a public purpose is ultimately served. A military that acknowledges the need for divine aid is firmly grounded, well ordered, and well disciplined.

None of this means that the military can’t make accommodations for religious diversity or that men should be forced to act in violation of their conscience. During Washington’s time, Quakers were excused from the draft due to their religious objections. Additionally, deliberate efforts were made to obtain chaplains from a wide variety of religious denominations. But a need to make some accommodations does not mean that religion should or can be completely excised from the military.

It would be a travesty if the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial were taken down. The cross, with its religious overtones, is an honest reflection of the life led by America’s many veterans. If the Supreme Court decides that this cross violates the Establishment Clause, then it might as well decide that much of American military history has been conducted in violation of the U.S. Constitution.