“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Our military women and men live this verse more times that we can count so we can be free to live in this country and worship God without fear. In honor of them, here’s a list of eight saints who were soldiers just like these brave people.

1.     St. Joshua

Joshua from the Old Testament was called by God to lead the Israel’s youngest generation in conquering the Promised Land, to give God’s poorest children a place to live and thrive in safety.

2.     St. Longinus

Longinus was the Roman centurion stationed at the foot of the Cross, who professed, “Surely this was the Son of God,” after Jesus had given up his life. It was Longinus’ lance that pierced Jesus side and released the Precious Blood and Water from His Side. Longinus had vision issues, but when he anointed his eyes from Jesus lanced side, his vision was restored, and he went on to be a firm believer and witness in the Man he had guarded while He gave His life for the world.

3.     St. Sebastian

St. Sebastian was a soldier for the Roman Empire when he converted to Christianity and proceeded to be such a witness that his compatriots began to convert as well. Feeling threatened by the holy warrior (and all those who shared the same Christian Faith as Sebastian), Emperor Diocletian ordered Sebastian to be killed. Though Sebastian assured Diocletian that Christians did not threaten the empire, but rather prayed for the emperor daily, executioners shot Sebastian with arrows. This, however, did not kill him, and after being nursed back to health, he publicly rebuked Emperor Diocletian for persecuting Christians. He was then martyred when the emperor ordered him to be beaten with clubs.

4.     St. George

The son of a Roman officer, George entered Emperor Diocletian’s army as a young man, but was soon given the choice to either die or renounce his Christian faith and sacrifice to Roman gods. In spite of immense bribes by Diocletian, who favored the young soldier, George refused to deny his love for God. Diocletian eventually had him killed by impaling and beheading. (St. George is also known for the apocryphal legend of killing a dragon that required the villagers to offer maidens to it as its meals!)

5.     St. Joan of Arc

God Himself asked a teenage girl from a poor village in France to take up arms. France had been under the oppression of England for a century, and through visions of St. Michael, St. Margaret, and St. Catherine, called Joan to lead the French army to throw off their bondage and restore their king to his throne. Undaunted by pain, persecution, or even death, Joan took on armor and led a righteous war, prioritizing that she her soldiers retained their virtue and received the Sacraments. Eventually, she was wounded, captured, and burned at the stake for following the unusual but inspiring path that God led her on.

Happy Memorial Day week, and thank you to all our veterans, alive or now with Our Lord. Do you have any favorite saints who were in the military? Share them in the comments!