For British troops in Afghanistan - and soldiers everywhere - the first battle to win is with themselves, writes Captain Doug Beattie of 1 Royal Irish Regiment who won the Military Cross for bravery in Afghanistan. He told Channel 4 News, ‘You won't hear soldiers talk about it. Fear is a taboo subject, a word suggesting weakness or worse, what they once would have called a lack of moral fibre. Troops skirt around it, deploying phrases like ‘that was a close one’ or ‘that wasn't fun’ to mask the reality of what they are feeling. But the question is not whether soldiers feel fear - for they do - but how they react to it. It can be a powerful motivator, allowing you to do things you never thought you were capable of. But fear can also be mentally and physically debilitating preventing men from carrying out the actions needed for survival.’

Pray: for God to meet with soldiers separated from family in an alien culture, facing threats of death and injury. (Joel 2:32)

More: http://www.channel4.com/news/afghanistan-the-fight-against-fear