Simcha, do you say Kabbalat Shabbat? Anyway, misheberachs are nothing new.
Time, Rav Ovadia said that without the IDF the yeshivot would not exist. I consider him to be much more of an authority on Judaism than Ruth Blau. I certainly consider Rav Kook and his son Rav Tzvi Yehuda to be more authoritative and they both said that nationalism and military prowess are integral parts of Judaism. The Tanach, in fact, praises military prowess in several places.The fact that they also exist among gentiles does not make a difference. There are gentiles who say “Thank Gd” and even a grace after meals and a prayer before going to sleep. Does that mean that we should not?