Lessons of 2026
Lesson No. Twenty-One

Voices of Freedom

Southern Utah Heritage Choir in St George Utah comprises 75 enthusiastic voices, most of whom are senior citizens and who have been part of choirs much of their lives. For many years this Choir has sponsored patriotic and Christmas programs held on two nights in the St George Tabernacle.

Voices of Freedom was the title of this patriotic concert held on June 12 and 13, 2026. I was invited to speak. The Choir wears formal attire and they asked me to wear my formal Air Force uniform. The essence of my remarks are as follows:

For many reasons Voices of Freedom is a powerful and an appropriate title for the program the Southern Utah Heritage Choir is performing the weekend. I appreciate the opportunity to join my voice as another “voice of freedom” I am impressed to emphasize the importance of families and legacies in preserving and defending our freedom.

Ronald Reagan was correct when he said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and only one generation away from extinction.” I believe there is no greater act of patriotism than for parents and grandparent to teach their children the importance of freedom. This season of the year is an excellent time to do this. I will refer to three events that took place in May, June, and July.

Teach your children patriotism through music. The Lord said, “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads” (D&C 25:11-12). Our families and our country need our prayers. We should teach our children to love and sing patriotic hymns. Not only is the music stirring but the words are powerful.

We are celebrating Flag Day, and we should teach our children to respect our flag and what it represents. When appropriate we should sing all the verses of our patriotic hymns because both the music and the words constitute a powerful a powerful sermon that our children will remember. Two examples follow:

The Star-Spangled Banner verse 3:

Oh, thus be it ever, when free men shall stand

Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation!

Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land

Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: “In God is our trust!”

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

The Battle Hymn of the Republic verse 3:

In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me.

As he died to make men holy, let us live to make men free,

While God is marching on.

Teach your children that the United States is a choice and chosen land from a geographic standpoint. Geopolitical analysts, meaning that they consider geography and politics and how they relate, recognize that the location of the United States bound on the east and the west and much of the south by oceans gives us enormous advantages of protection and commerce a. The mid part of our country is the worlds bread basket whose market is accessed by mighty rivers including the Mississippi and the Ohio. We are a great example of a country that can feed ourselves and still have considerable surplus to export.

Teach your children how the Lord orchestrated the founding of the United States.

- Teach them as Elder Jeffery R. Holland taught that with “meticulous preparation and precise timing”, the Lord sailed with Columbus and for the first time brought the old world and the new world into permanent contact.

- Teach them that he Lord brought the pilgrims on the Mayflower to Plymouth Rock far north of where they had intended. In this place they celebrated the first Thanksgiving in the new world. By so doing they planted, cultivated, and harvested the blessings of freedom for themselves, and they have invited their posterity to this banquet. Our family, like many of you, has ancestors among the Pilgrims who signed the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact was the first attempt, in thousands of years, to establish a functioning government based on the consent of the governed.

- Teach them that the Lord was with Washington at Valley Forge whose rag tag army defeated the greatest military power on earth. Washington recognized this happened because, as he said, “of the singular intervention of Divine Providence”.

- Teach them that 250 years ago the Lord raised up wise men who signed the Declaration of Independence and wise men who later wrote the Constitution.

- Teach them that our loyalty is to the Constitution and not to parties or persons. Teach them what President Dallin H. Oaks recently taught: “We are to be governed by law and not by individuals, and our loyalty is to the Constitution and its principles and processes, not to any office holder.”

Teach your children that the United States is a nation of immigrants and refugees, a melting pot –

- The United States has assimilated more immigrants than any other nation in the history of the world, and these immigrants have come from every nation.

- Most immigrants, like the Pilgrims, come to this country for freedom and opportunity. Much of our national strength has come from successfully integrating immigrants into society.

- A majority of Americans are just a few generations from immigrant ancestors. There has never been a nation that compares in this demographic.

- All eight of my great grandparents were among the pioneers/immigrants/refugees who came West. My great, great grandfathers Henry Lunt, Thomas Cottam, and Albert Petty families were immigrants from England. Then they were refugees, having being driven out of their homes in the Eastern US, they came west. Henry Lunt became the first mayor of Cedar City; Thomas Cottom was a prominent settler of St George; and Albert Petty’s family were the first settlers of Springdale.

Teach your children that on July 4, 1776, 250 years ago, the Declaration of Independence was adopted. The fundamental doctrine on which the Declaration is founded is set forth in the first 56 words of the second paragraph: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: 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.”

The Declaration concluded with the following 31 words: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” They were literally putting their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, all that they held dear, on the line when they signed the Declaration. We should ask ourselves what are we willing to personally sacrifice to support the doctrine set forth in the first 56 words of the Declaration of Independence.

Teach your children that on June 14, 1777, 249 years ago, the Continental Congress passed a resolution adopting the “Stars and Stripes” as the official flag of the United States of America. The flag of the United States flies over historic sites, military battle fields and cemeteries and battle fields. It flies over the Capital Building the Supreme Court, and the White House. Most importantly it is flown at millions of homes in our county on patriotic occasions. It has been a symbol and rallying point for true patriots for 249 years.

Teach your children about the miracle of the 213th field artillery battalion from southern Utah. This happened on May 26, 1951 during the Korean War. We recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of this miracle. Many will recognize the similarities to the Book of Mormon account of a similar miracle regarding 2,000 stripling soldiers. This is the least known of these historic events and the one I will spend the most time discussing.

- The 213th was comprised of 600 men made up of brothers, cousins, uncles, and friends all raised in southern Utah.

- The commander of the 213th was Lt Col Frank Dalley. He and his brother, major Max Dalley, were in their thirties and the only ones who had any prior combat experience. Most of the 213th were youth, just out of high school.

- The five batteries of 120 men each that comprised the battalion were located in the following towns with their population from the 1950 census: Fillmore 1,890 people; Richfield 4,212 people; Beaver 1,685 people; Cedar City 6,106 people; and St George 4,562 people. That each of these small communities were able to enlist 120 young men speaks volumes about their devotion and patriotism.

After the war Edward R. Murrow, the most prominent newscaster of the time, featured Frank Dalley on his popular national radio program called This I Believe. (A wonderful video presentation of this event was narrated by Elder Jeffery R. Holland two years ago. Google Korean War Miracle by Jeffery R. Holland) This is what Lt Col Dalley said:

- “Not long after arriving at the front and during my battalion’s first engagement with the enemy, we found ourselves separated from all friendly forces. The Republic of Korea forces we were supporting fell back without warning us, making it possible for the Communist forces to surround us without being detected. We were alone. The extreme seriousness of our situation was immediately apparent to me. I was responsible for the safety of 600 men entrusted to me.

- “With this to face, I knew I must have help. I was taught from childhood to seek help from God through prayer. I had always believed in God as the Supreme Being and believed in the power of prayer.

- “As I prayed It became clear to me the course that we must follow, and all the men calmly responded to a rapid series of instructions. In almost superhuman time the battalion was assembled and headed for the temporary safety of friendly lines. Over 12-15 miles of rough steep canyon roads and for about nine grueling hours prayer remained in my heart. Although the situation was precarious, not once was the outcome doubtful to me.”

- Lt Col Dalley did not go into the details in the radio broadcast of how two brigades of the 213th comprising 240 men were delivered without any serious wounds or death in a battle lasting all night against 4,000 Chinese soldiers. It was reported that bullets fired at close range missed their mark. When morning came and the battle was over about 350 of the enemy had lost their lives and 831 initially surrendered. As the Chinese continued their retreat in confusion, with their escape routes cut off they began to surrender. Eventually over 2,500 Chinese surrendered. At the end of the war Frank Dalley brought all 600 men under his command safely back home.

Frank Dalley was a true patriot. A true patriot seeks to know truth. They acknowledge the hand of God in the affairs of men and the destiny of nations. They look to God as the source of security. A true patriot is committed to correct social and economic principles based on agency and accountability. To a true patriot, liberty is not a license to do whatever you want; rather, true liberty requires that our actions must be consistent with a divine standard to which men are accountable. At true patriot is more concerned about being morally correct than politically correct.

A false patriot seeks for personal power and unconditional loyalty. They rely on their own wisdom. They often espouse harmful social and economic theories based on the philosophies of men. They espouse moral relativism which teaches there is no right or wrong, no divine law or absolute standard of conduct; and therefore no sin. They believe that every man prospers according to his genius, and that every man conquers according to his strength; and whatsoever a man does is no crime. (See Alma 30:17)

Fifteen years ago in 2011, then Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke of the danger of moral relativism: “More and more of our citizens support the idea that all authority and all rules of behavior are man-made and can be accepted or rejected as one chooses. Each person is free to decide for himself or herself what is right and wrong. Our children face the challenge of living in an increasingly godless and amoral society” (Preserving Religious Freedom, February 4, 2011, Chapman University). I am confident that President Oaks still feels the same way today.

The legacy of true patriotism runs deep in Southern Utah, but this legacy must be renewed with each generation. We can hear in our minds the words of true patriots, mothers and fathers from earlier generations, saying: “To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high” (In Flanders Fields by Lt Col John McCrae).

God Bless America, and God bless each of us to be worthy of the great blessing it is to be an American. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Released on June 14th. 2026.