Flying Lesson No. Twelve

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance

Prior to a flight on the KC-135.

 

The 169th Intelligence Squadron – This unit has both an air borne and a ground Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission. Its aircraft are specially equipped with sophisticated equipment. It has work stations for language specialists whose mission is to intercept enemy communications from any source including cell phones and radio transmissions.

The 169th fights the war against terror and drugs. They fly in active combat areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan and provide direct support for our ground troops. The aircraft intercepts ground, air, and sea communications. The linguists on the crew listen to these communications and determine if they have military value. If they do then appropriate military units are informed. It is very valuable to learn in advance what the enemy is planning so that we can defend ourselves and/or take counter measures as necessary.

The War on Terror ‑ On a mission I flew with the 169th our equipment intercepted some cell phone communications. Our crew analyzed them and could tell they were enemy communications. We learned what the enemy's plans were. We notified our ground forces of what was being planned. This likely saved many lives.

Lesson for Life ‑President Ezra Taft Benson taught that the Book of Mormon brings men to Christ through two basic means. He explained that first it teaches the plan of salvation emphasizing the fall and the atonement. It teaches the doctrine of Christ including faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. 

The second is a way that most of us may never have thought of. He said:  "The Book of Mormon exposes the enemies of Christ. It confounds false doctrines and lays down contention. (See 2 Nephi 3:12). It fortifies the humble followers of Christ against the evil designs, strategies, and doctrines of the devil in our day. The type of apostates in the Book of Mormon is similar to the type we have today. God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our time" (A Witness and a Warnings, p. 3).

In other words the Book of Mormon provides us with the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) we need in our war against the terror the devil and his servants would inflict on us if they can.  For example, the four primary anti-Christ of the Book of Mormon are Sherem (Jacob 7), Nehor (Alma 1), Korihor (Alma 30), and the Zoramites (Alma 31). These anti‑Christ are a composite of many of today's false beliefs such as no need for Christ or redemption, easy salvation, false ideas of worship, and secularism.  The Book of Mormon provides the ISR necessary to combat these and many other falsehoods.

Testimony of the Book of Mormon ‑The Prophet Joseph Smith taught "the Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book" (Book of Mormon, Introduction). If a person can get nearer to God through the Book of Mormon than by any other book that makes it the most important book on earth. It is my testimony that the Book of Mormon brings us to Christ and is the most important book on the earth. We will be greatly blessed if we study it each day.