Logan Mehl-Laituri: Born (Again) on the Fourth of July – by Andy Scott

Logan Mehl-Laituri was born on the Fourth of July. Sort of.

Laituri, a veteran of the Iraq War, was baptized on July 4, 2006 after becoming convinced that his role as an active participant in military operations with a weapon was incompatible with his understanding of Christianity. On that day, Laituri became someone new, and sees it as an integral part to understanding his identity in Christ. It’s just that sort of irony that makes Laituri’s story so compelling – a soldier being baptized on the Fourth of July.

Trained as a paratrooper, Laituri served as an infantry forward observer in Iraq, was and is thoroughly American. He felt called to serve his country through military service, and enlisted in early 2000 in order to pay for college. Laituri served a tour of duty from 2004-2005 in Iraq, and returned to Hawaii where he became more involved in church.

“The summer of 2005 I remember hearing the question, ‘what is God doing in your life,’ from my pastor at the time” he said. “It sparked a realization that God is always working.”

In April of 2006, Laituri had an out of body experience. He said he saw himself in the Middle East, but without a weapon. In a culture where a soldier’s weapon is as essential a part of their wardrobe as anything, Laituri said he felt as though he was not missing it. It felt right to be in a conflict zone without a gun. Throughout that summer and fall, Laituri began thinking seriously about issues of God’s agency and his role as a Christian. Newly baptized that July, he was determined to work toward the vision of the Kingdom of God.

“I started asking what I could do for the kingdom rather than what God could do for me,” he said.

It was this time of reflection that led Laituri to conclude that he could no longer serve in the military as a forward observer, or with a weapon at all. As a forward observer, Laituri was responsible for calling in air support and directing artillery fire onto enemy positions. He felt that this was no longer compatible with Christianity. Eager to still serve in some capacity, Laituri applied to become a conscientious objector – a member who still serves but is not engaged in combat.

His newfound sense of pacifism stirred up controversy in his unit, and within a few months Laituri was kicked out of his unit, but not before his commander accused him of cowardice and dodging deployment.

By August 2006 Laituri was discharged from the military, and spent time in Israel with a Christian Peacemaker team.

“I was in a combat zone in the Middle East without a weapon,” he said. “I felt that I had navigated both sides as best I could.”

However, the soldier in him did not let go easily.

“In Israel, I was very upset by seeing soldiers on patrol,” he said. “I saw myself in them, and realized that what I had been doing was helping occupy a country.”

Laituri says he continues to wrestle with the question of what it means to love one’s enemies.

“We cant’ love God without loving our enemies,” he said. “I had to figure out what it meant to love one’s enemies when enemies are people just like me.”

It is this question that led Laituri to brand himself an echthrophiliac, Greek for lover of enemies, and it is this question that Laituri brings to the Wild Goose Festival. Introspection, autobiography, and foresight combine in Laituri’s story that encourages the Church to think about the way we engage members of the military.

“The church avoids the question of military participation and meanwhile there is the highest rate of suicide and depression in the military than at any point in American history,” he said. “I want to ask what the church can do to theologically engage people in the military, breaking down barriers that keep us from discussing Christian soldiers.”

Laituri’s story is just one of many that will contribute to the chorus of voices at the Wild Goose Festival. We encourage you to come be part of that chorus as well.

Andy Scott is a Duke Divinity Student living in Durham, NC. He is volunteering with the Wild Goose Festival and wants you to come.