"As American voters, we have often chosen and then rejected our public servants guided by the complimentary Biblical principles of: 'Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much' (Luke 16:10), and 'to whom much is given, from him much will be required' (Luke 12:48).

Throughout most of our nation's history, we measured that faithfulness and trustworthiness by a candidate's prior military service. Being a veteran was considered practically a mandatory prerequisite for election, but in these years after Woodstock and Vietnam, fewer and fewer members of Congress have been meeting that requirement.

In 1969, 75% of the members of Congress were military veterans. In 2000, that percentage had dropped to about one-third. In the upcoming 112th Congress, only 21% of its lawmakers will have served in the military.

Hopefully, though, that pendulum will swing back around again.

Twenty of the freshmen members of the 112th Congress are veterans, all are Republican..."