A Tribute to Major Taylor

Today was the funeral of Major Brent Taylor, the North Ogden mayor and member of the Utah National Guard who was killed in Afghanistan.  Like so many in Utah, my family has been moved by his story and incredible sacrifice, and though we do not know him or his family personally, we mourn their loss.  He was described as a “true patriot” and “great soldier” and “a true and loyal friend.”  The praise for his exceptional life and service reminds me of what was said in the Book of Mormon when Teancum similarly gave his life for his people: “Now it came to pass that when Lehi and Moroni knew that Teancum was dead they were exceedingly sorrowful; for behold, he had been a man who had fought valiantly for his country, yea, a true friend to liberty; and he had suffered very many exceedingly sore afflictions” (Alma 62:37).  Thinking about the sacrifice of Major Taylor, especially in conjunction with Veteran’s Day, has caused me to reflect upon so many who have given so much.  As the Korean War Veterans Memorial states, “Freedom is Not Free.”  But oh, what a price has been paid by those who have given everything for that freedom, a price that I admittedly know nothing about.    

            Lately I’ve become pretty cynical about politics in the United States, but reflecting on Major Taylor’s life has reminded me that there is much more to this country and what it stands for than Republicans and Democrats.  We don’t have to divide everything on party lines—we can all unite around the foundational principles of freedom that the Founding Fathers built on.  There has always been great discord in politics in this country, even going back to the contentious presidential race between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, but despite that we can focus on preserving the freedoms that make this country different than so many others.  The Lord spoke in the Doctrine and Covenants of “the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles.”  The rights espoused in the constitution—of religion, speech, press, and equal protection under the law—stand as a beacon for “all flesh,” not just those who live in the United States.  Major Taylor certainly believed that, for he was serving not just Americans but also the people of Afghanistan as he sought to help provide them the freedom we enjoy here.  The Lord wants “that every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:77-78).  And though there have been instances in which these rights have been violated in America—too numerous to recount and too painful to want to recall—this does not change the fact that our country was founded on the ideal of freedom.  We can declare now just as was said then, that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  As hollow as it is from someone who has enjoyed the freedoms of this country my whole life without ever having to make a significant sacrifice for them, I give my heartfelt gratitude to God for Major Taylor and all those like him who serve and have served so unselfishly in defense of this ideal.