During lunch with a well-educated friend from Taiwan, I was told that foreigners are just amazed when they come to America and see that so many Americans are good, moral people. Why the amazement? Because the most well-known Americans overseas are those in the US military and in Hollywood movies, and they are typically highly immoral. Based on the behavior of US military personnel, my friend and many others he knows expected America to be filled with sluts and party animals. They were surprised to see the basic goodness of the people.
His comments made me all the more concerned about the welfare of our young people in the military. It’s hard enough resisting temptation in high school in a small, decent town like Appleton, Wisconsin with parents nearby. Throw those kids into the military, and they need to be real saints to stay out of the mire of immorality.
As just one glimpse into the problems, see the article Our Pregnant Military.
Any ideas on how to help our LDS people survive the moral trials of military life?
And if you think our military is immoral, just contemplate the Russian or Chinese militaries for five minutes. . . .
Jeff,
I don’t really think that there are any special ideas we can come up with that are only suited for military use. I think that as with any profession that forces people to travel, LDS simply need to strengthen their testimonies and continue to build their relationship with the Lord. I don’t think that being in the military can be that different from individuals who (for buisness)travel to asia and europe on a regular basis. These morality issues pop up across the board. Anyone who feels dificulties in any of these areas should consult with their home teachers, or Bishop. Anyways, when it comes to our military LDS, I would just encourage everyone to drop a letter to anyone who is on the back of your Sacrament Meeting program listed under servicemen and while you’re at it scribble a quick note to send to the missionaries! 🙂 God Bless our Military!
Jeff,
I was incredibly startled by your article. I'm not sure of your background in the military, but you have an incredibly stereotypical view of it. Hell yes there are incredibly, horny, disgusting males and females in the military (my branch being the US Army) but the young men and women represent the exact climate census of those people I went to high school with (IN BRIGHAM CITY UTAH!) It is not at all the immorality of soldiers (which I will be the first to admit is great) but it is the only exposure to our citizens these foreigners have ever had. You better think twice before ever categorizing soldiers incorrectly.
As a final statement, you can not judge the immorality of soldiers, airmen, marines, sailors or coast guardsman, because you have no idea what they've been through.
I've made it through quite well, not only as a Mormon, but as a MORMON FEMALE.
Get it right Jeff. Come on.