- James and Donna Islam created the Joshua 1:9 Foundation after their son Josh, a Marine, died in 2014, distributing over 70,000 dog tags worldwide with a Bible verse for courage.
- Josh Islam was a top Marine recruit who died in a training accident at 18; his family uses the tags to inspire faith and positive impact in communities.
Little do people know that when they compliment James Islam on his brimming white cowboy hat, they’ve just won a “prize”.
The 61-year-old, who doesn’t talk superficially about the weather or think beyond the afternoon in front of him out of respect for life’s brevity, wastes no time handing them a small palm-sized package still warm from being carried in his jean pocket.
“A common way that I meet somebody is by telling them, ‘I have a small gift for you,’” he said. “[They say] how in the world could you have a gift for me? Like, what in the world is this crazy guy with the cowboy hat about to give me that means anything at all?”
Inside the packages, given daily by Islam and his wife, Donna, is a dog tag with an abbreviated Joshua 1:9 Bible verse: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. God is with you.”
A note accompanying the tag explains how their son, Marine Corps Pfc. Joshua Milford Islam wore a similar one when he was killed in 2014.
Since Josh’s death, the Islams—Christians and now Gold Star parents (parents of U.S. military service members who lost their lives in the line of duty)—created and distributed thousands of the tags around the world through their non-profit, the Joshua 1:9 Foundation, aiming to redeem the tragedy as a blessing for all who give and receive the tags.
Each one distributed in Josh’s honor aims to remind the receiver they were created by God with a purpose, the note reads, that life is precious and that they can stand strong and live without fear if they trust God, no matter what battles they face.
“It carries with it Josh’s story, the memory of a young man that was willing to give his life for our country, the memory of a family that was willing to give their son for the defense of our country, and everything that he stood for,” James said. “It’s a reminder to live in the observance that we will be accountable to God for what we did or didn’t do, and so not to waste an opportunity, to live every day trying to make a positive impact.”
Originally from Gainesville, Josh grew up mostly in Charlotte, North Carolina, after James briefly moved his family of nine there while he attended seminary.
In high school, Josh excelled at baseball and earned strong grades. But instead of going to college, he had his heart set on fighting for his country. Josh enlisted in the Marine Corps infantry to do just that.
“He chose the Marine Corps because they had what he thought was the toughest boot camp,” James said. “It was the longest and toughest, and that attracted him. And that’s a common attribute of Marines is that they hear it’s tough and they run towards it.”
Following high school graduation, Josh left for boot camp at Parris Island in July 2013. He graduated with the Iron Man award, given to the recruit who shows the best physical performance, and went on to be the top graduate and marksman from the School of Infantry.
Josh was recruited for the Marine Reconnaissance special forces unit and went to Camp Pendleton and Recon Training Company. It was there that Josh was killed in a training accident on Jan. 13, 2014, six days before his 19th birthday.
Josh’s death was extremely tragic, James said. Not a Memorial Day or any day has passed without thinking about and missing him.
But as a Christian family, James said it was very important to him and Donna that they clung to the bedrock of their faith, that God was still good, as a witness to anyone who asked where he had been when they needed him.
“Being a Christian and following God doesn’t exempt you from hardship and tragedy,” James said. “But God does promise if you trust him and follow him, he’ll walk with you through whatever hardship and tragedy that you face. And not only that, but he promises that, in a way, he will take everything, even the bad stuff, and work it for good.”
Islam said God revealed that good to his family in the days leading up to Josh’s funerals by bringing to mind a series of serendipitous events.
Before Josh went to boot camp, Donna had prayed for a Bible verse she could give him. Once she had it, she snuck her son’s Bible out of his room and opened it to Joshua 1:9, where she highlighted the verse and put the date, April 28, next to it without telling anyone.
Halfway through boot camp, Josh wrote a letter home telling his family how training was going and that he’d befriended his bunkmate, Brian.
Brian had recently opened a letter from his mom telling him to look up Joshua 1:9. When he asked Josh to look it up for him, to Josh’s surprise, he found the verse highlighted.
Soon after hearing how the verse had come before both soldiers, Donna had two dog tags made up with an abbreviated version of Joshua 1:9 and gave them to Josh and Brian at boot camp graduation.
“As we were preparing for the funeral, Brian called and said, ‘I’m never going to take my dog tag off in memory of Josh,’” James said. “And it gave us the idea to make more of them to give to the family and friends.”
James and Donna had 500 tags made up for their son’s funeral in Gainesville and 500 more for the funeral in North Carolina, still using the same Omaha, Nebraska-based artist who made the first two tags. And they haven’t stopped.
Since handing out those first tags at Josh’s funerals, James said over 70,000 have been distributed in eight different languages around the world.
They hang around the necks or on keychains of restaurant servers, construction crews and coworkers. They’ve gone with pastors on mission trips and to orphanages in South Korea. Gainesville’s Milton Lewis Young Marines, with whom James volunteers, will hand out tags during Newberry’s first annual Fourth of July parade on Saturday.
James said the tags have connected the Islams with other families who have lost children, and that as more time passes, he often runs into people who got a tag years ago and it proved a catalyst for turning their lives around for the better.
“I’ve had people burst into tears, total strangers. Within five minutes, we’re hugging and encouraging each other through something difficult,” he said. “I’ve had people laugh and say ‘I was just praying that God would show me a sign’ about something that was on their mind.”
James said even better than receiving a tag is seeing someone smile when they get one; a joy he and Donna get to experience daily and want to help others do too. The Joshua 1:9 Foundation uses donations to keep the tags free for anyone who gets a tag and wants more to give others.
James said one repeat “agent” in California orders a box every month with Thin Blue Line themed tags and distributes them to police departments throughout Southern California.
“People, as they travel, will take a picture with the dog tag,” he said. “We’ve got them from the Great Barrier Reef and underwater, and we’ve got them from the Tour de France and the World Series and the Super Bowl.”
For the Islams, he said each day the dog tags are gifted is also one day more of healing by getting to remember Josh and one day closer to being reunited with him in heaven.
Somehow, James said the dog tags and interactions given with each speak encouragement through the human condition that we’re all wounded, either coming out of trouble, in the middle of it or heading towards it. If you have breath today, make the most of it, he said.
“It is our hope that this tag will lead you closer to God, encourage you to remain faithful to your calling and help you to make a great difference in your community,” the dog tag note reads. “Now go take action.”