Greetings, Latter-day Saints in the Military Service!

We salute you and wish you well as you begin to serve your country.

Your military service will provide you with many great opportunities. We hope you live up to them. If you do, happiness will come to you, and credit and honor will be reflected upon your loved ones and the country which you represent.

As you put on the uniform of your country, we wish to call your attention to some of the important things that will help you enjoy your military service.

You are a citizen of a free country. Your uniform is a symbol of freedom, honor, and duty. Live up to the full meaning of that symbol. As a citizen of a free country, each one of us has certain basic rights, including the right to worship God according to our own conscience. That right is important to you now, as you enter the service. Always remember that you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that it is in your own interest and in the interest of the military service that you be a good member of your church.

The Military and Religion

Most commanding officers in the military service are interested in the moral integrity of each individual. The highest military officials of your country desire that your religious beliefs be preserved and strengthened and that you be loyal to your church and your beliefs. They do not want you to give up your religious beliefs when you enter the service.

Military regulations provide Church members with certain rights in regard to their religious practices. You should take advantage of them. Claim these rights and use them.

Your Identification

An official record of each individual is kept by military officials, and church membership may be included as a part of this record. Generally, individuals in the service are classified as Jews, Protestants, or Catholics. Attempts have been made to include members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Protestant category, but we are not Protestants. Protestants are members of those churches which make up the main body of non-Jewish and non-Catholic denominations.

We are separate, not to be included with any of the three other groups. Specify that you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and if anyone tries to list you as a Protestant, do not permit it. In case of emergency, for example, proper identification as a member of the Church will be of vital importance. Therefore, when you register with the military service, list yourself as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Identification Tag

Upon entering the military service, each individual is given an identification tag. Religious membership may be included on the tag. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should use the phrase "Latter-day Saints." Be sure to indicate your church; also be sure to give the officer in charge of records the full name of the Church and the name and address of the presiding officer in the ward or branch nearest your present duty assignment.

Excuse from Duty for Church Attendance

Regulations in all branches of the service allow men to be excused from duty for the purpose of attending church services. Keep this in mind. In case your assignment may require Sunday duty, make a request before Sunday for time off during that part of the day when your church services are held, so that you can attend regularly. If any difficulty arises on this point, talk with the chaplain (or your commanding officer). Even though he may not be a member of our church, he will be able to help you.

Membership Records

When you enter military service, your membership record is sent to the new ward or branch where you are assigned so that you can participate fully in the programs of the Church, such as being ordained to priesthood offices, paying tithing, or receiving temple recommends.

All who go into the service should receive a member identification form from their bishop. This form is the bishop's certification that you are worthy to participate fully in and receive the blessings of the various programs of the Church. This form will serve as identification and can be used until membership records arrive at your location.

The Church Can Help You

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is vitally interested in all its members, no matter where they are. The Church organization can assist every member in each branch of the service. Its carefully developed program can help make life more pleasant and profitable for you. At several basic training centers and other military installations in the United States and at some overseas stations, there are full‑time chaplains who are members of the Church, appointed by the government of the United States with the endorsement of the Church. These men conduct or supervise religious services at the military installations where they are located, assist with recreational activities, are able to give advice as needed by men in the service, and stand ready to assist you in times of need.

In addition to these chaplains, Latter-day Saint group leaders are appointed among our men. They conduct meetings for members of the Church on military installations and aboard ships; they give similar service to Church members as do our chaplains. However, they are appointed by the Church (not by the government) and are themselves servicemen, chosen from the ranks. Each is set apart by an authorized official of the Church, and he carries with him a certificate of his Church appointment.

Chaplains and group leaders work cooperatively with bishops and other Church officials, locally and at home, who are seeking to serve you.

How to Find the Church

As soon as you arrive at your first base, look up the Latter-day Saint chaplain or group leader. If there is no Latter-day Saint chaplain or group leader at the base, locate the Latter-day Saint ward or branch nearest the base. There are several ways of locating any of the above: (1) inquire at the post chaplain's office; (2) inquire about other servicemen who are members of the Church; (3) ask military leaders; (4) look in the local telephone directory for listings of wards or branches; (5) check bulletin boards for information about Latter-day Saint meetings; (6) write to the bishop of your home ward or to the Military Relations Committee (50 East North Temple Street, Salt Lake City. Utah 84150).

Attend Latter-day Saint Meetings

Church officers and group leaders will welcome you at the meetings they conduct at the base or aboard ship. These meetings will be advertised on bulletin boards and in other prominent places. Post or base chaplains will also have information. Do not hesitate to ask.

You Will Make New Friends

As a Latter-day Saint, you probably want to meet other Latter-day Saints, and such an opportunity is available through attending our meetings. There you can find companionship with members of your own church, among people with the same standards as your own. You will enjoy your military service better in the company of such friends. Find them in our meetings.

The Sacrament

The sacrament of the Lord's Supper will be administered in the services conducted on Sundays by men holding the priesthood. As a member of the Church, you will want to participate in these sacred and inspirational experiences. It will help you to stay close to God and will be a strength to you.

At times you may be invited to partake of the sacrament or communion of other churches. We advise you not to do this. To the Latter-day Saint, the sacrament has a special meaning; it must be administered by priests or Melchizedek Priesthood bearers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, because the ordinance requires the authority of the restored priesthood. We therefore advise our members to partake of the sacrament only in our own meetings, where it is administered according to the Lord's authority and teachings.

If You Become Ill

If you become injured or sick, do not hesitate to request that the elders of the Church administer to you. In addition to Latter-day Saint chaplains and group leaders, other members of the Church who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood are in the service. If you make your wants known, permission will be given for such administrations; if you are in the hospital, a request made to a nurse or supervising officer will be honored.

Your Clothing

If you have been through the temple, you may be faced with a decision about your personal attire. If this problem arises, contact Church leaders at or near your military installation or write to your bishop at home. They have been given instruction from the First Presidency of the Church on this subject and will be able to give you direct guidance.

Church Books and Pamphlets for Latter-day Saints in the Military

The First Presidency has arranged to have every Latter-day Saint entering the service receive a special pocket-size edition of the Book of Mormon and Principles of the Gospel as well as several pamphlets giving guidance to those serving in the military. These books and pamphlets have been of great value and comfort to our men in World War II, the Korean conflict, and in Vietnam. They can be of similar help to you. If you have not received your copies, contact your Church leaders. Otherwise, write to the Military Relations Committee (50 East North Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150), giving your full name and your present military address. When you receive them, read and study them for guidance, knowledge, and spiritual inspiration.

A number of Church pamphlets are available for your use. They may be obtained from your bishop when you are interviewed before entering the military service, at the pre-service Church orientation seminar, at the inservice Church orientation meetings, or from local Church leaders.

Many members in the service are asked questions about their religion by nonmembers. These pamphlets will help you to answer those questions, so read them and be prepared. In case your friends want to read your literature, encourage them to do so.

Writing Letters to Church Leaders at Home

Keep in touch with the Church at home. Write the bishop of your home ward from time to time; tell him where you are and how you are getting along. Report to him concerning the meetings you attend; tell him about your day-to-day experiences. Let him know that you are being true to the faith.

Your fellow priesthood quorum members will also welcome word from you. Write to your home ward priesthood quorum president. If you do not know the name and address of the quorum president, write in care of your bishop, who will give the letter to the quorum officers.

If you do not know where your Church records are, write to the Office of the Presiding Bishopric (50 East North Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150). Include in your letter your full name, the date of your birth, the date and place of your baptism (if possible), and the last known location of your membership record.

Write to Your Family at Home

Writing often to your family will strengthen you by reminding you of strength you found at home, and it will encourage them in their prayers for you. Mothers worry when they do not hear regularly from their sons and daughters. Do not allow your parents to worry over you unnecessarily. Keep in touch with them; make them happy with your letters. Tell them of your daily activities. They will almost live this period of service with you. Make it easy for them to know of and appreciate your activities by writing them interesting letters often.

You Represent the Church

Whether you realize it or not, you represent the Church in the eyes of nonmembers, who will watch how you live. Be a credit to your church. Your life may become a guiding light to other military personnel. On the other hand, it may have a negative effect on others if you are careless.

Live above criticism. Hold to your standards. Let your life teach faith and personal purity. In the eyes of others you are a product of Mormonism. What you are will influence what they think about other members of the Church, including your family, the members of your ward or branch, and the entire Church. Do not let your life give a false impression. Be a wholesome representative of that which you believe in.

Doing What the Rest Do

Some individuals in the service think that to be popular they must be as worldly as other people, no matter what sins they commit. That is a great mistake. Experience has shown, both in military and civilian life, that nonmembers expect us to live up to our standards. They are disappointed in us when we fail to do so. Even the most unrighteous person respects a clean man or woman who stands up for his or her principles. Be an example. Be clean. Stand by our standards. Do not let a little kidding from other servicemen fool you and make you think you have to sin to be a "good guy." Even the kidders will respect you more if you are strong, stronger than they are themselves. You believe in higher goals, in exaltation in our Father's kingdom. Do not let those blessings slip through your fingers.

The Word of Wisdom

No matter where you may go, temptation will confront you. It may be an appeal to break the Word of Wisdom or to lose your chastity, your sexual purity, or to commit other sins of a serious nature.

Remember that the cigarette is a vicious enemy of every man. It will weaken your faith so that you cannot fight against worse temptations which follow. Avoid a cigarette as you would a disease.

Avoid alcoholic drinks! They will rob you of your balance; they will take away your common sense and will destroy your power to say no. Many men and women have lost that which is dearer than life itself, their chastity, when they lost their sense of balance because of alcohol. They may have to pay the rest of their lives for sins they committed under the influence of alcohol. There is only one way to avoid getting drunk, and that is to avoid drink. If you never take a first drink, you will never take a second, or a third, or a fourth.

Often a sinful career begins with a cigarette, followed by a drink of beer or other alcoholic drinks, then loss of chastity. Do not take a chance. Leave cigarettes and alcohol alone.

What Chastity Means

To a Latter‑day Saint, chastity is more important than life itself. Chastity means complete sexual purity, freedom from all forms of sexual immorality, including masturbation, fornication, adultery, and homosexuality. From the very beginning of time, the Lord has forbidden his people to commit sexual sins.

Adultery is next to murder in the category of sins. Would you think of murdering a man in cold blood? Of course not. You must avoid adultery as you would avoid murder itself.

Many times, prostitutes invite military men, and often military men surrender to them. To accept their sin is to accept the bitterness of hell itself.

Some men may also seek to entice you to commit homosexual sins. Whether tempted by man or woman, be strong; be clean; resist evil; avoid those who would seduce you. Protect your virtue even as you would protect your life.

Pictures of nude bodies in movies or magazines, which are so easily available to servicemen, should be avoided. They degrade one of our Heavenly Father's greatest creations and plant thoughts that easily lead to sexual immorality. The thoughts themselves are evil, so avoid all such forms of pornography.

The Price of Sin Is Death

Every sin has a price tag on it. Nearly two thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul declared that the price of sin is death (Romans 6:23). No one can escape the bill collector. If we sin, we must pay, and sometimes the price is not paid even after years of sorrow and remorse. Whenever you are tempted to compromise your usual high standards of life, stop and ask yourself, "What will it cost me? Is what I am about to do worth the price I must pay?"

Each one of us must remember the law of the harvest. It is a law through all nature, and it operates without exception in the area of personal conduct: "As you sow, so shall you reap." We must suffer the results of our actions. Good brings forth good, and evil brings forth evil. There is no escape.

The temporary gratification of an appetite, however exciting at that moment, is no proper standard of value. Results and consequences outlast the moment of the event and take their toll. We suggest you read the story of David, particularly the eleventh and twelfth chapters of 2 Samuel; also read verse 39 of section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

Old-Fashioned Virtues

You may be told that some of the disciplines and prohibitions you have learned at home are old fashioned and out-of-date and that to continue to honor them is a sign of immaturity. You may be ridiculed if you do not lower yourself to the practices of some of those with whom you may associate. You may hear the whispered echo of the age-old lie, "No one will ever know," coupled with the question, "What difference will it make?"

Do not allow yourself to be deceived by those who may tell you that all desires and appetites must be gratified, or that self-denial will deprive you of worthwhile experiences. Remember that there is only one standard of life—the same for man as for woman.

Remember also that sometime you hope to marry. Just as you would not marry a prostitute, do not expect your girl to marry an adulterer. You must be as clean as you expect your wife or husband to be. And think of the possibility of your becoming a parent. Would you bring upon your own son or daughter the heritage of sexual sin? Think of the words of President Spencer W. Kimball:

"Among the most common sexual sins our young commit are necking and petting. Not only do these improper relations often lead to fornication, pregnancy, and abortions—all ugly sins—but in and of themselves they are pernicious evils, and it is often difficult for youth to distinguish where one ends and another begins. . . . They are but parts of the whole family of related sins and indiscretions. . . .

"Too often, young people dismiss their petting with a shrug of their shoulders as a little indiscretion, while admitting that fornication is a base transgression. Too many of them are shocked, or feign &$91;pretend] to be, when told that what they have done in the name of petting was in reality fornication" ( The Miracle of Forgiveness, 65–66).

Rely on the Savior

One of the greatest strengths available to you in overcoming temptation is the example of the Savior. As you try to follow his example, to become closer to him, you will find that his example can help you in making decisions and choosing good over evil.

And as you obey the Lord's commandments and try to develop his strength in yourself, you will receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost, as was promised you when you were confirmed a member of the Church. Seek for the constant guidance of the Holy Ghost. Be worthy of his companionship. Develop the strength to follow his guidance.

Choose Clean Friends

In the military service, as elsewhere, every person must choose his own friends. And as in every other place, you will find good and bad people in the service. You have been taught to live a clean life. So have others at your base. Search out those clean men and women for your friends.

One of the chief reasons you need to attend Latter-day Saint meetings is that there you will meet other men and women who have been taught the same high principles as you have and who regard virtue and purity as highly as you do.

Daily Prayer and Study

One of the best weapons with which to fight evil is daily prayer. It will keep you in touch with your Heavenly Father, your unseen but all powerful friend and companion. A young man or woman of real character will neither be afraid nor ashamed to pray, wherever he may be. Of course, he will not impose his religious beliefs upon others, nor will he exhibit his sacred practices before the eyes of his friends. But neither will he neglect them because of fear of other people.

If you go to the Lord in prayer at the beginning of each day and try to remember throughout the day that you are to report to him at night, you will enjoy a companionship from which will flow strength and wisdom for any situation.

In addition, study each day the word of the Lord as we have received it through his prophets. Read the scriptures regularly. Read the counsel of our latter-day prophets. As you study the word of the Lord, you will find a constant source of strength and wisdom.

A Ready Safeguard

Maintaining your contact with the Church will be your most valuable asset while in the service. Your attendance at Latter-day Saint meetings will give you strength to live your religion. It will bring you into the presence of clean, strong men and women, who will keep you strong. Your contact with your bishop and quorum members at home will have a similar effect. If you are near some organized ward or branch of the Church, become a part of it, for it will widen your opportunity to associate with your people; it will strengthen your faith; and it will help you stay as clean and wholesome as the Lord expects you to be.

We Believe in You

Many prayers will be uttered in your behalf. Your loved ones will ask our Heavenly Father to watch over you each day. You will be remembered in your ward and quorum meetings, among your schoolmates and companions. The General Authorities, stake presidencies, and ward bishoprics will be anxiously concerned for your welfare. We all have confidence in your quality, your integrity, fidelity, purity, loyalty, and purpose. We are proud to have you represent us in the service.

The Lord Bless You

It is the earnest prayer of all our hearts that God will be with you and bless you throughout the period of your service, that he will give you health and strength, enduring faith, devotion to his cause, a believing heart, and a willingness to serve him. The Lord is your best friend. Never forget him. Be high class. Be a real Latter-day Saint.

Faithfully your brethren,
Military Relations Committee