War

From a new Q&A, it’s clear that this iconic Latter-day Saint director’s passion for bringing true stories of faith to the big screen runs deep.

Right before WWII, 79 missionaries rushed to escape Germany. They experienced miracles—and so did those who brought their stories to the big screen.

In the final months of 1938, the shadow of war was spreading across Europe. Meanwhile, a twenty-nine-year-old Nicholas Winton was preparing for a ski vacation in Switzerland, until his plans drastically changed.

“At such times, our hearts ache for all victims of this atrocity.”

“The Book of Mormon speaks of being poisoned by degrees, and I’ve always thought it to be representative of the way evil works: subtly easing us into extreme danger. I recently listened to Marie Vischer Elliott describe her family’s experience of becoming confined in a concentration camp, and I couldn’t stop thinking about this scripture.”

80 years ago, a small plane carrying Latter-day Saint Joseph Tippets and 5 others crashed in the harsh Alaska wilderness. The tiny group of survivors spent the next 29 days in the dead of winter fighting for their lives.

Is it true that “if there is an Auschwitz, then there cannot be a God”? Does the Restoration convincingly address the problem of evil?

When an unfamiliar woman came to Steven Collis’s book signing, he had no idea she would reveal an ending to the story more miraculous than he imagined.

From the earliest hours of the crisis, the Church—through its members and humanitarian partnerships—has been actively involved in the relief efforts for refugees in Europe.

Praying initially felt like a cheap way out: a way to feel like I was doing something without really doing anything. But President Nelson taught me otherwise.

"Though the conditions are dire, we are not helpless. Our connection to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can heal our wounds, our hearts, and the world," Elder Uchtdorf said.

“I worked with refugees for years, but I never thought I’d be one.”

The Church’s donations to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Program will help those displaced by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

On Friday, the First Presidency said they are praying that “the controversies will end peacefully, and that peace will prevail among nations and within our own hearts.”

It’s been 175 years since the Mormon Battalion was formed, but only in the past year have historians discovered exactly who served with this historic group.

There were not enough parcels to give one to every man. So the commandant had come up with another solution—they would hold a raffle.

On Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941, Elder Wayne M. Winegar had just listened to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing the words, “All is well.”

During WWII, one American bomber pilot single-handedly saved the lives of 90 men by listening to the promptings of the Spirit. That pilot was my grandfather, Ronald S Beckstrom.

For Howard Wimberly of Greenwood, Florida, being friends with Albert Lane, a 97-year-old WWII veteran, has taught him one thing: It’s never too late in life to come unto Christ.

*The following article previously ran on LDS Living in October 2015.

I remember when a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles brought me to tears. He shed a few tears with me.

Latter-day Saint women have always been able to hold their own. The doctrine and practices of the Church regarding women give us confidence born of the Spirit and teach us how to lead, teach, testify, rally others to a worthy cause, and express ourselves. And it has always been so. . . .

These introductory paragraphs are excerpted from a 1995 manuscript by Herbert Kurt Ludwig and the author. Ludwig was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who served in the German infantry in World War II. His journey through World War II took him from the freezing steppes of Russia to the burning sands of North Africa, where he served as a motorcycle messenger in the headquarters of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Along with a 136,000 other Germans, he was abandoned by his country in North Africa, facing new dangers, opportunities, and challenges throughout the rest of the war.

Sergeant Hugh Nibley was among the first to land on Utah Beach in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, exactly 75 years ago today. “My fate seems always to have been first in line. Our ship headed the convoy, and as if that were not enough, our party was to be the first ashore when contact was made with the division,” Nibley remembers of that day. In Meridian Magazine, Maurine Proctor recently compiled Sergeant Nibley's memories of D-Day in "Sergeant Hugh Nibley’s Surprising Memories of D-Day."

Eveline Marie Charlet Kleinert was born at Pully, Vaud, Switzerland, on February 9, 1878, the daughter of Marc Louis Charlet and Delphine Catherine Vionnet. She was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 1, 1896, at the age of 18, about a year and a half after her parents’ baptism.

Latter-day Saints have a rich heritage of patriotism, going all the way back to the twelfth Article of Faith. Many have pledged their lives in military service as a part of that patriotism, and the Saints at War Project has collected the stories, photographs, and artifacts of their experiences. Here are just a few.

I met a former German soldier, Joseph F. Beuchert of Heidelberg, who was a young man when he was conscripted into the German army. He spent four years as a prisoner of war, an experience filled with physical deprivation. In hindsight, he came to regard one of the POW camps as a gateway to an abundant and fulfilling life. In that camp, he found one of his greatest blessings: knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

While carrying out a mission as a B-17 bomber pilot during WWII, Lieutenant Wendell Bradford Terry (Mike to his friends) and his crew flew through thick flak and antiaircraft fire while passing over the French coastline. The left wing of Terry's plane was hit by an antiaircraft shell, causing a large portion of the wing to break off and both of the left engines to stop functioning, sending the plane in a downward spiral. In addition, the wing caught fire and the flames moved toward the aviation fuel tank, which would cause a deadly explosion. It was then Terry rang the alarm bell and screamed into the intercom: “Bail out! Bail out! Bail out!”

Exactly 100 years ago, men from all over the world were fighting for a cause bigger than their own.

November 11, 2018, marks the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting of the First World War, "the war to end all wars." At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the guns fell silent. Still, it would be another seven months before my grandfather, Samuel Thomas Roberts, received his discharge papers and his ticket home.

War has long been a difficult part of our human history. But you can find inspiration in these 11 books and DVDs that chronicle real-life and fictional characters and their search for faith, courage, and valor amidst some of the most difficult periods of history.

Veteran’s day is almost here, once again on November 11th, flags will fly and patriotic programs will prompt our remembrance of the service of our veterans. This year, Veteran’s Day coincides with the 100th anniversary of the close of the Great War, World War I. Touted to be the war to end all wars, World War I was one of the most terrible conflicts in history. At least nine million soldiers and nearly as many civilians died from war-related causes. This number does not include those who perished in consequence of the worldwide influenza pandemic near the end of the war.

The following is an excerpt from President James E. Faust's April 2002 general conference talk, "The Lifeline of Prayer" during which he quotes from Elder Andre K. Anastasiou's October 1946 general conference address. We are grateful to Meridian Magazine for making us aware of this story. To read selections of the 1946 talk, you can read it on their site here.

On a recent visit to Germany, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorfmet with the German Chancellor in a historic meeting and attended a wreath-laying ceremony for Holocaust victims at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. While reflecting on his experience at Sachsenhausen, Elder Uchtdorf shared a touching message on Facebook about a Latter-day Saint who was executed by the German government in 1942 along with an unforgettable message about the power of love:

Shortly after arriving in Vietnam as an Air Force pilot, Larry Chesley looked around at the other airmen in his unit, his eyes stopping on a young man. “And the Spirit said, ‘He’s not coming home.’ And I dismissed it and I looked around the room and my eyes stopped on another man, and the Spirit said, ‘He’s not coming home.’

After a reconnaissance mission in France during the closing years of World War II, Sergeant Benner Hall sat with his men along a small country road, waiting for his next assignment. A sudden feeling descended on Hall—a prompting to move his men out of danger.

"And in that day shall be heard wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion" (D&C 45:26).

During WWII, 17-year-old Albert Christman enlisted in the Marines, and after his service in the Pacific was awarded the Purple Heart.

The following video is from Hi Five Live.

What an inspiring story of missionary work, courage, and compassion.

Warning: This article contains some war content that might be disturbing for some readers.

"It is our heartfelt hope and prayer that they and many others have not sacrificed life in vain," LDS Chaplain Vernon A. Cooley wrote to then Elder Harold B. Lee. "In the present world-wide battles there have been some of our servicemen lost who were perhaps far more worthy than many of us who remain alive."

Four months after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, President J. Reuben Clark Jr. read the First Presidency’s statement on war at the April 1942 general conference.

There are examples of compassion all around us, but some are more obvious than others. And while extenuating circumstances such as war and depravation don’t seem likely places to find charity, one couple in Cedar City, Utah, has found a way to serve and love amidst tragedy and trials. They call it The Happy Factory.

The first general conferences were more like sacrament meetings. Over time this changed, but an exception was made in October 1942.