Why be good?

[SteelCurtain]

As you may know, the aphorism "there are no atheists in foxholes" originated in World War II though the actual source of the quote is uncertain. Aphorisms express general truths spoken or written in memorable form, so while the universality of the experience it expresses may be questioned, I question whether "each and every one" of the marines and soldiers you spoke with would agree with your assertion. Here's why:

According to Wikipedia, 

To empirically examine the question, "Are there atheists in foxholes?" Cornell University behavioral economist, Brian Wansink examined 949 post-combat surveys of World War II American infantrymen and observed that these soldiers' reliance on prayer rose from 32% to 74% as the battle intensified. To test the lasting impact of combat on religious behavior, a follow-up survey was conducted 50 years later with a different sample of veterans from all branches of service. The second study showed that 50 years later, many soldiers still exhibited religious behavior, but it varied by their war experience. Soldiers who faced heavy combat (vs. no combat) attended church 21% more often if they claimed their war experience was negative, but those who claimed their experience was positive attended 26% less often. The more a combat veteran disliked the war, the more religious they were 50 years later.

We have two different sets of data, yours and Wansink's, that point in opposite directions. Since your anecdotal evidence seems at odds with the formal research performed by Wansink, I can't help wondering if there isn't some problem with your methodology or a bias in your reporting of the data you collected. 

Maybe not, but I do have a question for you, Mike:

Are you suggesting that I should believe your eye-witness testimony concerning what you observed and reported in your written account above?

How does that survey say anything about atheists? It says that most religious people rely on religion more when staring at death. If anything, the data corroborates my experience. I sat in groups over two years with thousands of Marines. The overwhelming majority of them were very religious. I'm sure that helped them in battle. I didn't say anything about them losing their religion on the battlefield. (Although some few did.) That survey says absolutely nothing about atheists in foxholes.

As my experience is anecdotal, you should take it at that. If you choose to not believe that there are Marines and Soldiers out there that are smart enough to not buy into your death cult, I know ignorance is bliss. Have at it.