A couple in our branch
invited us to dinner last week. I typically ask the members questions, like how
they met or how they became converted to the gospel. This sister grew up in the
Church but said that growing up her father was not a member. She said that when
she was young, her father smoked, and that a good friend and neighbor of theirs
who smoked died from cancer. When she asked how he died, the cause was
attributed to smoking. She became very worried about her father fearing that he
would die from smoking as well, approached him and told him how much she loved
him and asked him to quit smoking. She said her father was trying to test her
resolve and asked her if he did quit smoking, what would she be willing to give
up? He knew how much she loved chocolate so she told him that she would give up
chocolate. Her father quit smoking and later joined the Church. She said that
all these years she has kept that promise to her father not to eat chocolate.
Even after her father died years later, she has kept that commitment. Her explanation was, if I had died first, I
would not have wanted my father to start smoking again. This sister attended
BYU and then worked for several years before meeting her husband. I am
impressed with such people who have the resolve to make and keep commitments (covenants) with their fellow man and
with their God. I think she has been and will continue to be a faithful member
all her life. It is so nice to meet Latterday Saints who are so committed.
Her husband, the Brother of
this couple served as a marine sniper during the Viet Nam War. He explained
that during the time of his service somewhere between 80 to 85 percent of the
fellow marines in his unit were killed. He said you soon learned not to get too
close to anyone, because they wouldn’t likely be around that long. He was both
stabbed with a bayonet and shot in the back during the war trying to save a
comrade.
He had another experience
where he was knocked unconscious and woke up in enemy territory all alone. His
unit had left the area thinking he was dead. They reported to his family that
he was missing in action. He thinks he was unconscious for several hours, he
regained consciousness and was able to make it back to his unit after several
days.
He shared one other
experience, He said that in Viet Nam they lived in little makeshift structures
they called a Hutch. Each Hutch housed 8 marines. One night while he was
sleeping, he felt someone pulling on the bottom of his blanket. He initially
thought it was another member of his unit playing a trick on him. He said that
his language was not that good at the time and he yelled out some obscenities
telling the person to stop. He said he really didn’t see any one at the foot of
his bed so he went back to sleep. Then it happened again and he still couldn’t
see who was pulling on his blanket. A third time it happened and he looked at
the foot of his bed and saw his mother standing there. She told him he had to
get out of there. He woke all his fellow marines and told them to get out of
their hutch. They ran several hundred feet away; one member of the unit was too
sleepy and did not get out. The members
of the unit that did follow him out were now asking him what was going on, why
did he wake them and tell them to get out of the hutch?
He was beginning to feel a
little silly and starting to explain when a barrage of missiles came into camp
and one hit the hutch directly, exploding, blowing all their belongings to
pieces. The fellow marine who stayed in the Hutch was killed. He said that
later when he returned home on leave he was relating the experience to his
mother. He had written in his journal the date when this occurred. His mother
said that she had written in her journal on that same day that she got the
impression that he was in danger and knew that she had to pray for him.
He was a sniper, shared
experiences of hand to hand combat. In his explanations the phraseology he used
was taking somebody out. He said that the war messed him pretty bad and said that
he was not a very good or likeable person when he got home from the war. After returning
home, he belonged to a motorcycle gang for a while. He said that because of the
influence of his mother and others he eventually became re-activated into the
Church.
He met and married his wife. I believe they have provided great service
to the church and others over the years. He said that he was called to serve as
a Branch president in California for a branch of Hmong’s. Because of his
experiences during the war he developed a hatred for people from that part of
the world. He prayed to God that he would be able to serve in the Branch and he
was blessed to learn to love the people.
