To Battle We Go: Mottos and Slogans
Our military services have always had mottos— short phrases that sum up their ethos, the “distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution,” as Webster’s Dictionary defines it. Mottos are important in communicating these things to service members, of course, but also to the American public and the nations of the world, whether friend or foe.
Many early service mottos still used today are Latin phrases, the most famous of which is the motto of the Marine Corps: “Semper Fidelis,” meaning “Always Faithful.” The Navy has “Semper Fortis” (Always Courageous), and the Coast Guard has “Semper Paratus” (Always Ready). Not to be outdone, the newly formed Space Force has selected “Semper Supra” (Always Above) as their Latin motto. Another Latin motto I like is “De Oppresso Liber” (To liberate the oppressed), used by U.S. Army Special Forces.
Then there are the well-known recruiting slogans used by the services over the years, like “There’s strong, and there’s Army strong,” “It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure,” “Be part of the action,” and “Uncle Sam wants you!” Who can forget the song written for the U.S. Army’s “Be all you can be” recruiting ad campaign, voted the second-best jingle of the 20th century, second only to McDonald’s “You deserve a break today”? And when the Peace Corps was organized in the early 1960s along quasi-military lines, their memorable recruiting slogan was “The toughest job you’ll ever love.”
The Salvation Army has had its share of mottos and slogans over the years, both informal and official. Early examples include “Saved to Serve,” “Soup, Soap, and Salvation,” and “Go for souls and go for the worst!” And we can’t forget the shortest of all, “Others!” When I was coming up in the Southern Territory it was “Serving others through Christ,” “Need has no season,” and my personal favorite, “Heart to God, Hand to Man” (would love to bring that one back!).
Still, I think we as Salvationists would do well to adopt some phrases like the mottos and slogans of our military services, especially since so many of them have natural application to spiritual warfare. Shouldn’t Salvationists always be faithful, courageous, ready, focused on things above, and dedicated to liberating and defending the physically and spiritually oppressed?
Likewise, Salvationists should want to be part of the action rather than just concerned bystanders, our service not just a job or obligation but an adventure in following Jesus. And we will need to be Salvation Army Strong to do the toughest job we’ll ever love: spreading the gospel and meeting human need without discrimination. Make no mistake, it is a tough job, and “the only easy day was yesterday,” as one Navy Seals motto says.
Until next time, Semper Jesus, Semper Others, Semper Army!