I am always
fascinated when prophets, apostles and other general authorities of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speak about their service in the military.
This fascination comes from the respect for the incredible burden that such
soldiers must carry. War is horrific, yet prophets past and present have taken
up the sword and the rifle in order to defend what they hold dear. It is even
during times of war that these dutiful men and women receive some of the
greatest revelations and experiences.
Shortly after
graduating from high school President Boyd K. Packer joined the United States
Army Air Force in the spring of 1943 and became a bomber pilot. President
Packer admitted that when he left home to go to war he did not have his own
testimony of the truth of the gospel, rather, he simply believed in the
testimony of those who did know of its truthfulness.[1] It was when he was away at
war that President Packer at last gained his own testimony. “World War II was a
time of great spiritual turmoil for me. I had left my home in Brigham City,
Utah, with only embers of a testimony, and I felt the need for something more .
. . While stationed on the island of Ie Shima, just north of Okinawa, Japan, I
struggled with doubt and uncertainty. I wanted a personal testimony of the
gospel. I wanted to know!”[2] This desire to know
compelled him to leave his bed one night and go out into a solitary bunker to
pray. He continues, “Almost mid-sentence it happened. I could not describe to
you what happened if I were determined to do so. It is beyond my power of
expression, but it is as clear today as it was that night more than 65 years
ago. I knew it to be a very private, very individual manifestation. At last I
knew for myself. I knew for a certainty, for it had been given
to me.”[3] One does not need to be
involved in the chaos of war for a testimony of the gospel to come. Indeed, we
all can receive that testimony in our own paths through life.
Elder Packer had a
similar experience shortly after the war ended. On October 6, 1945, Boyd and
several other saints had journeyed to Nara, south of Okinawa, to a conference
for LDS servicemen. When they were ready to return to Ie Shima they realized
that a hurricane was approaching. They quickly boarded a PT boat and returned
to their island and sheltered in place. After the hurricane had passed, most of
their facilities had been destroyed. Yet, Boyd and the other saints were still
able to hold study classes and sacrament services. These experiences with his
fellow soldiers became dear to him. “It was then that the book of Mormon became
a part of my very soul.”[4]
Obviously, we
don’t all need to join the military to appreciate the Book of Mormon. Yet, we
will all have our times of crisis with enemies seen and unseen trying to
destroy us, or the storms of life raging around us. We all go through these
trials. The light of the testimony of Christ’s gospel can provide us a safe
place to weather the storms. We can draw closer to each other and to Heavenly
Father through the precepts of the Book of Mormon and the Bible. Like Elder
Packer, the experiences we have can become foundational to our identity as
children of God. They can become part of our very souls.
See Also:
I wrote an article for BMC on finding peace and meaning in the chaos of war.
[1] Boyd K. Packer, “Counsel to the Youth” Ensign, November 2011, 17, online at
lds.org.
[2] Boyd K. Packer, “The Witness,” Ensign, May 2014, 94, online at lds.org.
[3] Packer, “The Witness,” 94.
[4] Robert C. Freeman, Dennis A. Wright eds., Saints at War: Experiences of Latter-Day
Saints in World War II (American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 2001),
374–375.
