Frank's Question:

How does one reconcile “killing” as a soldier in defense of our great nation with the sixth commandment—Thou shalt not kill? 

Don's Answer:

Of all of the Ten Commandments, the sixth commandment is probably the most misused  and misinterpreted. It is often used by animal rights groups to condemn hunting, by opponents of the death penalty to condemn capital punishment, and by pacifists to condemn war. However, all such uses (misuses) of the sixth commandment are totally unbiblical.

The Hebrew word for “kill” in the sixth commandment means “homicide.” The commandment is therefore a simple prohibition against murder. It does not forbid me from defending myself, my family, my property or my country. Neither does it prevent me from going duck hunting or stepping on a spider. Also, it serves more as a justification of capital punishment than a condemnation of it, since anyone who unscrupulously breaks the sixth commandment needs to be permanently removed from society before afforded an opportunity to do so again at the additional expense of another innocent life.