Why Warriors?
"But, Bro. Peters, aren’t warriors blood-thirsty killers & adrenaline junkies that get a thrill out of hurting people?"
Well...NO…they are not.
Let me tell you a personal story.
In
my line of work, I have to occasion to work with members of the United
States Military organizations. Across the board I have been impressed
with the level of professionalism, respect and genuine kindness they
have shown to me and my co-workers. They are some of the finest people
I’ve ever met. I sincerely wish that more of us would be like them.
One
individual in particular struck me with his demeanor, his genuine
personality and his intelligence. He wasn’t a huge, muscular guy but
you could tell he was physically powerful. I wasn’t around him for very
long, but I instantly took a liking to him and I had two distinct
thoughts/feelings around him. The first was that I’d like to have spent
more time with him…the kind of guy you’d like to hang out with. The
second was that he could easily kill me at any moment. The power of his
presence carried with it the sense that you did NOT want to mess with
this guy…he could more than take care of himself.
Later, I found out that he was a Navy SEAL.
I
was so impressed by this guy (and others that I have subsequently met
and worked with) that I began a study that has become a personal hobby.
I wanted to know what kind of man it takes to become one of these elite
warriors. What I’ve found is incredible. If you want to know what
goes into their selection, training, and missions there are a lot of
good books out there, I can highly recommend Lone Survivor by Marcus
Lutrell and The Warrior Elite by Dick Couch as a starting point. Be
warned though that once you start reading about these warriors you will
be hooked.
Let me tell you just a little bit about Navy SEALs...
To
even be considered to become a SEAL you must meet certain
requirements. First off you must be male and you have to be in the Navy
(there are a few exceptions for Marines and Coast Guard). You must
pass a rigorous physical test that includes:
• 500 yard swim in under 10 minutes
• 80 push-ups in 2 minutes
• 80 sit-ups in 2 minutes
• 11 dead hang pull-ups
• 1.5 mile run in less than 10 minutes (in combat boots and long pants)
If
you pass this test, along with a psychological/mental evaluation, you
are admitted to the BUD/S program. BUD/S stands for Basic Underwater
Demolition/SEAL, it is the school where warriors are selected for the
SEAL teams. It is an 18 month process where the men are tested
physically, mentally and in a way spiritually to see if they have what
it takes to be the best of the best. Most classes begin with about
120-140 candidates and end with about 20-30 men still vying for a
spot. Quitting is completely voluntary. Almost 80% never make it. The
Navy only wants the best. One of the most grueling and demanding parts
of this training is what is widely known as “Hell Week”. One week of
sheer torture where the candidates for the SEAL teams endure
sleeplessness, strenuous physical tests, challenges, freezing
temperatures and the constant stream of harassment from their trainers.
This one week sees more men quit than any other. What is fascinating
is that you can have two nearly identical men who are fit, smart and up
to the challenge, but one will quit and another will not. I believe it
is because one has that spiritual component to his existence while the
other doesn’t. That component that says “I will not give up…and I will
die before I quit” that comes from deep inside.
When
a man completes BUD/S, he is qualified to enter the SEAL teams. His
training will go on. In really his training will never end. SEAL’s
train constantly. That is part of what makes them so good at what they
do.
There
is a saying among the SEAL teams that goes: "To find us you must be
smart. To catch us you must be quick. To kill us you must be kidding".
They are simply the best of the best. They are the elite. They define
what it means to be a warrior.
So why is that important? How does all this apply to the priesthood?
I’m
using the example of Navy SEALS to talk about what it means to be a
warrior…so let’s apply this all to being a Priesthood Warrior.
In
the US Navy there are about 450,000 active duty men and women. Out of
that total only about 2500 are SEALs. That is less than 1%.
If you take the population of the Church (@ 14 million) about 55,000 are full-time missionaries. That is less than 1%.
If
you take a look at my home page, there is a quote from the Greek
philosopher Heracletus that says that the real Warrior is that 1%
individual that defies the odds and brings his brothers home. Isn’t
that our job as bearers of the Priesthood? To bring our brothers home
with us?
The
Lord has called us his “Warriors” (D&C 105:16, D&C 101:55)
Prophets have called us Warriors… we are warriors… we fight spiritual
enemies with ferocity and diligence. We go behind enemy lines to rescue
our brothers and sisters from the darkness of the world. We train and
plan our work diligently and we cannot accept defeat.
If
you have any doubt about this calling to be warriors…go back a listen
to Elder Jeffery R. Holland’s talk from the Oct. 2011 General
Conference. http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/we-are-all-enlisted?lang=eng
So now you kind of understand “Why Warriors”…now it’s time to get to work becoming one.
Blog for the Priesthood MEN who are ready to "arise from the dust and be MEN" (2 Nephi 1:21)
I love this! I want to be in the military and be a warrior but I know I must become a real warrior through the LDS church before I can become an American warrior!! I love are country but I love god and are church even more
ReplyDeleteGlad that you enjoyed it Cameron. Good luck in your quest to become a spiritual warrior as well as the "Real Deal". I have the highest admiration for the men of the US Military. I hope this site can continue to be useful to you.
ReplyDeleteWere you or are you involved in the military in any way?
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question specifically...NO I am not a member of the US Armed Forces. I do work in the company of America's finest in my full time job, and have had the opportunity to rub shoulders with all kinds of men and women who do serve. This blog is a result of my direct involvement with some Navy SEAL's in particular who so impressed me that I began to study warriors and what makes a man sacrifice to become such. Since that time I've been privileged to work with many different warriors, and all of them were amazing.
DeleteIn my association with LDS men who are also in the military I've asked what advise they would give a YM wanting to serve and this is what they've said. First, do everything that you can to become an Eagle Scout (this will directly affect your military experience). Then make every effort to be worthy to serve a full-time mission for the Lord. Then go on that mission. Then, if you have the desire to serve in the Military you will be MUCH better off and excel more in that service.
Ultimately it is a very personal decision, between you and the Lord. Even in his last Conference talk, President Monson referred to the fact that there are many opportunities to be missionaries in his last conference talk:
"Brethren, as you plan with purpose your lives, remember that your missionary opportunities are not restricted to the period of a formal call. For those of you who serve in the military, such time can and should be profitable. Each year our young men in uniform bring many souls into the kingdom of God by honoring their priesthood, living the commandments of God, and teaching to others the Lord’s divine word.
Do not overlook your privilege to be missionaries while you are pursuing your formal education. Your example as a Latter-day Saint will be observed, weighed, and ofttimes emulated.
Brethren, whatever your age, whatever your circumstance, I admonish you to plan your life with purpose."
Wow i really love that!!!! You are truly an inspiring man! Ive never meet you but i can tell you are a amazing. I have had the hardest time lately trying to decide my future and my question is military or not military? I plan to serve a full time mission and i have recieved my eagle. But now my question is do i serve my country. I want to become an elite warrior but i cant decide which branch of military to join. I debate every day in my head between air force navy and army! I have looked into all of them so much! What is your personal view of which is best to join? I know about all of there sf and how different they are but i would be fine with any of them. What i need to do is pray to god and get an answer from him and im going to be getting my patriarticul blessing soon so i hope that will hint something. Thanks for being a goodperson and believing in god and are country! Its good to know that there are some good people out there still.
ReplyDeleteCameron...I posted a response to your question at the link below: (it was too long to put in this section)
Deletehttp://ldssofhandbook.blogspot.com/2013/08/i-received-and-email-from-young-man.html#more
We have a close relative married to a young man (R.M. / college student) with a wife and small baby with a STRONG desire to be a Navy Seal. Statistics would indicate marriage and family life would be faced with extreme challenges (high divorce rate, etc.). Any information, experience or thoughts on that? Seems incongruent to me with Church teachings on a father being in the home, supporting his children as they grow and develop,
ReplyDeleteThis is a tough one to respond too since I really don't know all the circumstances.
DeleteI will say that to choose the life of Special Operations Forces is an extremely harsh one, and not one to be taken lightly. The realities of military life are hard on the individual and even harder on a family. It is a concern that he is already married, and has a young child. If he is a college grad and an RM that means he's likely a bit older as well (closer to 24 or 25) and unless he did ROTC in college he would be entering the military as an enlisted man...the bottom of the totem pole very literally.
A few realities about being a SEAL:
- only about 15% of those who try actually make it. The rest still belong to the Navy and will be put to work as sailors doing very 'un-glamorous' work. You don't just get to try out for the SEAL's and then if you fail you can do something else. You are property of the US Navy.
- If he did do ROTC and is a commissioned officer in the Navy, he gets one shot to make it in the SEAL teams. That's it. If for some reason he fails, he will never get to try again and he still belongs to the navy and will have serve somewhere else.
- If he does make it through BUD/s (which is about two years) he still has to prove his worth on the teams. Becoming a SEAL is a very lengthy process and involves a lot of very hard physical and mental work.
- The realities of being a SEAL place them in very dangerous situations and he has to realize that he will very likely be required to take another human being's life. This is a harsh reality that many don't realize when they dream of being in special operations forces.
- These dangerous situations also put his life in constant peril. There are good odds that he may not return from deployment. Another harsh reality that he needs to face...that of widowing his wife and child.
- Divorce rates are very high among the teams.
- Pay is very low.
- He will be gone for VERY long periods of time and often his wife will not know where he is or when he's coming back.
- The 'action' part of life as a SEAL is limited. When they are deployed, boredom is often a bigger problem than too much action.
All that said, there are people that make it work. The LDS men I know in the military who have made it work have incredible wives who fully support them. Still it is very hard on them.
I also look at all the men who lead our Church who served in the military as well (Pres, Monson included) and how much time they spend away from their families in Church Service...serving in a leadership position in the Church can be pretty demanding and those general authorities can be away for very long periods of time (In Pres. Monson's case I've heard his kids talk about how they almost never saw their dad when they were growing up)...does that make them neglectful fathers? I personally know of families that were broken apart because dad served too much in church callings and the family came to resent it.
Ultimately it's up to individuals to decide what is the best course to pursue in life. I'd encourage this young man to take a hard and unemotional look at what he'd be choosing. The Navy even offers mentors and advisers to people who think they may want to pursue this kind of thing. In the case of SEAL's they will actually try and talk him out of it...because if they can...then he isn't the kind of person that should be a SEAL anyway. Ultimately if he decides (with his wife) that this is the best thing for them to do then it's up to us as family, friends and fellow church members to be as supportive as we can to that family.
Hope that help's a little bit.