June Is Porter Rockwell Month!

Porter Rockwell celebrates his 207th birthday on the June 28Th!

How am I like Orrin Porter Rockwell? Let me count the ways…
We all have heroes in our lives and I’m no different. My first and most important hero is my Dad. Then it would be Moroni. Then coming in a close 3rd is Porter Rockwell. We all try to be like our heroes in some way.
Porter resorted to violence but was not really a violent man. Most of the men that he killed were outlaws he was bringing to justice. Often he was defending himself. Whenever he killed someone in self-defense he turned himself in but was always exonerated. I too have been a man of violence on occasion.
Porter Rockwell was the man who rowed Joseph Smith across the river to find refuge in the West. He also rowed him across the river to face his death at Carthage. He was the lead scout for Brigham Young when they first entered the Salt Lake valley. I too had the opportunity to rock climb and jump out of planes. We are adventurous.
Porter was also a man of action as I hope to be.
To be honest, I’m probably not at all like Porter Rockwell. But I do think it would be cool one day to have a future prophet say this about me:
“He had his little faults, but Porter’s life on earth, taken altogether, was one worthy of example, and reflected honor upon the Church. Through all the trials he has never once forgotten his obligations to his brethren and his God.”
I honor the life, such as it was, of Orrin Porter Rockwell born June 28, 1813 and died June 9, 1878.