Many soldiers (and their commanders) are highly superstitious and/or turn to a higher power. This dates back centuries, if not millennia: http://www.greatwardifferent.com/Great_War/Superstitions/Sup...

A number of athletes are the same way: http://paneech.com/2009/05/5-athletes-who-took-superstitions...

When your life and/or livelihood regularly depends on factors that you don't control, it's not uncommon to engage in dealmaking with a higher power in order to develop a sense of control over the unknown.