Sergeant Josh - A Modern Day Captain Moroni

One of my biggest heroes ever is Captain Moroni who lived around 60 BC in the Americas. The Book of Mormon chronicles his valiant and noble fight for freedom and liberty in defense of his people and country. The events and political atmosphere in which he lived bears great similarities to our present day. In a time when his country was in the midst of ongoing war with invading neighbors and political turmoil, dissension, and insurrection within, Moroni served as Chief Captain, the highest ranking military official of his country. When he became angry with the leader of the opposing political party, Amalickiah, who sought to replace democracy with kings and nobles, he rent his coat and wrote on it the following words: 'In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children'. He called it "The Title of Liberty", hoisted it up on a pole, and caused it to be raised throughout the land to rally the people in defense of their freedom.

While listening to the podcast of The Mark Levin Show, recorded on July 31, 2008, I heard Sergeant Josh (periodic guest of Mark's show) say the following, after Mark asked him about his voluntary pledge to serve a third time (the two previous times in Iraq, now Afghanistan): "My whole thing is, you know, anything that I can do to keep my little girl, or anyone elses kids to have to fight, you know, 20 years down the road, I'm gonna do." When I heard that, it reminded me of Captain Moroni. Sergeant Josh is the type of man that Moroni was.

"And Moroni was a ^astrong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect ^bunderstanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery; ... a man who did labor exceedingly for the ^awelfare and safety of his people." Alma:48:11-12

"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto ^aMoroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the ^bdevil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." Alma 48:17

We are in desperate need of more men of this caliber. My heart felt thanks go out to Josh and all people now serving and whomever has served in the defense of man's God given right to liberty.

links:
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Captain Moroni
Title of Liberty:
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/46
Character:
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/48#11
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/48#17
Sergeant Josh:
Mark Levin Show:
http://marklevinshow.com