Public and Civic Club Talks
TALK ON PATRIOTISM
[Talk given by John E. Enslen at community-wide patriotic celebration held at the pavilion of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Wetumpka on July 3, 1999.]
I am not confused about which holiday this is, but I want to begin by mentioning Christmas. Each Christmas season, because of distractions, we must work hard to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Independence Day is no different. It is certainly wonderful to be able to enjoy fireworks displays, water sports, barbecue, and all the other traditional activities of personal choice; but we have that privilege only because of our revolutionary forefathers, whose sacrifices and devotion to individual freedom and principles of self-government made possible the original establishment of this great nation. It is important that we, at least annually, recognize, honor, and pay tribute to their unique achievements.
On a hot day, much like today, 223 years ago less one day, the signers of the Declaration of Independence announced the birth of a new nation. It is important to note that the fundamental reason for its birth was not to divide an empire; nor to find a throne for a royal son; nor to establish or make secure a tributary state; nor to gain dominion over a people in a lust for power. The birth of this nation was the result of none of the motives that to that time in all of history had given rise to a nation. The signers believed that governments derive their just power from the people who are endowed by their creator with certain nonremovable rights.
There were 56 signers in all. We remember best perhaps the two who later became Presidents – Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. But what about the other 54 of less fame? History tells us that 9 died of wounds in the war; 5 were captured and placed in British prisons; 12 had their homes burned to the ground; 17 lost everything they owned providing financial support for the war. The cost of freedom came high on the first 4th of July. But none defected. Their faith in the cause of liberty drove them, and Divine Providence sustained them.
I mentioned Thomas Jefferson and John Adams who later served as Presidents. May I add a short footnote regarding their personal histories. As the Giver and Taker of mortal life would have it, both of them, in different locations 600 miles apart, and under separate circumstances, died on the same exact day, July 4th, 1826, precisely on the 50th anniversary of their signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Now, I would like to say a few words about modern-day patriots, about being good citizens of our nation. Every good citizen adds to the strength of the nation, and every bad citizen weakens the nation. It has been said: “All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Perhaps the greatest enemy of any free society is the attitude of indifference. In Dantes renown literary work Divine Comedy, the lowest position in Hell was reserved for those who simply do not care; for those who, confronted by great questions, are uninterested; for those who, faced with great deeds, remain unmoved; for those who, offered great opportunities, feel no challenge; for those who, endowed with precious freedom and liberty, make no valid use of it; for those who, observing a battle between a tyrant’s army and those who would be free, remain indifferent and uninvolved.
Today we pay special tribute to those courageous men and women throughout our history who were willing to be involved – valiant defenders against tyranny and oppression, protectors of individual rights. They fulfilled their duties and responsibilities as citizens, which is the essence of true patriotism. One such patriot was Major Martin Treptow. He was killed in World War I in 1918 at the Battle of Chateau-Thierry. He clutched in his lifeless hand his diary which contained these words. “I will work; I will sacrifice; I will endure; I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost as though the entire conflict depended on me alone.” By reflecting upon courageous examples like this we are caused to renew our inherent belief that there is no chance, no fate, no destiny that can hinder the firm resolve of a determined soul who has dedicated himself to a righteous cause, for God is his ally.
As I have pondered the destruction of Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea; or the defeat of the Philistines by young David’s courageous act; or the tumbling of the Walls of Jerico; or the determined invasion at Normandy; or the great miracle of the Gulf War in our own day where more than one million modernly equipped men of war set in array against one another on fields of battle, each possessing the potential for immeasurable death and destruction, yet one army emerging wholly victorious, actually suffering more casualties by accident than at the hands of their enemy—as I have pondered all of these events, I am still constrained to believe that the hand of God was never more directly involved in preserving a people and determining the course of a conflict than that of the American Revolution, fought by aspiring colonists against, at that time, the most powerful empire on the earth. The real credit for that victory must go entirely to God.
The continued success of our nation depends upon retaining God as our ally. We do that as a nation the same way that we do it as individuals—by keeping the commandments. True American patriots are those who keep the commandments of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Our nation’s happiness is inseparably connected to our nation’s virtue.
George Washington, pronounced these words in a prayer at his first inauguration as President of the United States:
Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that thou wilt keep the United States in thy Holy protection, that thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of obedience [to thee], and to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, as fellow citizens. May we be pleased to do justice, to love mercy, and to conduct ourselves in charity, humility, and gentle temper or mind, which were the characteristics of the divine author of our blessed religion, and without whose humble example we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant us our supplication through Jesus Christ our Lord.
May we each live worthy of the future commendation of our forefathers, whom we shall surely someday see, and continue to prayerfully implore of our Heavenly Father with unshaken faith in Christ: “God, bless America.”
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.