Veterans Day honor those who have served, including our current Prophet & Apostles with Military Service.
Here are 7 of our current prophets and apostles with military service and the lessons they learned.
Thomas S. Monson- United States Naval Reserve
“As he approached his 18th birthday, it seemed certain he would be drafted into military service, so he chose to enlist in the United States Navy Reserve. Thus he was able to return home and resume his college career—and also resume his courtship of Frances Beverly Johnson. He had met her during his first year at the university.” –lds.org During his time in Navy Boot Camp he recounted an experience where he “Dared to Stand Alone”
Henry B. Eyring- United States Air Force
“Hal nevertheless completed his physics degree at the University of Utah in 1955 before entering the U.S. Air Force. Two weeks after arriving at the Sandia Base near Albuquerque, New Mexico, he was called as a district missionary in the Western States Mission—a calling he magnified during his two years in the military.” –lds.org During the Korean War wards were restricted in how many missionaries could be sent. President Eyring tells us of his time in the Air Force where he blessed the ward he served in.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf- German Air Force
“…That career started with an engineering education at age 18, followed by six years in the German Air Force. Then, in a reciprocal relationship between the German and U.S. governments, he entered fighter pilot training school in Big Spring, Texas, where, as a German, he won wings in the American Air Force as well.” lds.org Who doesn’t love a good Uchtdorf aviation story!? President Uchtdorf’s career in piloting was almost cut short, but was made possible only by an experience earlier in his life that taught him the value of hard work.
Russell M. Nelson- United States Army & Naval Reserve
“Before returning to Salt Lake City, he enlisted to serve a two-year term of medical duty in the U.S. Army during the Korean War; he served in Korea and Japan and at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.” –lds.org
Dallin H. Oaks- Utah National Guard
“When I was a young man I thought I would serve a mission. I graduated from high school in June 1950. Thousands of miles away, one week after that high school graduation, a North Korean army crossed the 38th parallel, and our country was at war. I was 17 years old, but as a member of the Utah National Guard, I was soon under orders to prepare for mobilization and active service. Suddenly, for me and for many other young men of my generation, the full-time mission we had planned or hoped for was not to be.” –MormonMission.blogspot.com He once recounted an important lesson he learned from one of his instructors.
M. Russell Ballard- United States Army Reserve
“…he also served in the United States Army Reserve, resigning his commission as a first lieutenant in 1957.” –Wikipedia.com
Robert D. Hales- Air Force
“Robert graduated from the University of Utah in 1954 with a degree in communications and business and went into active duty in the United States Air Force. In 1955, Robert and Mary, with their newborn son, Stephen, moved to Florida. For four years, Robert served as a jet fighter pilot. Their second son, David, was born in 1958. Robert learned an important principle while serving in the air force. “Our unit motto was ‘Return with Honor,’” says Elder Hales. “This motto was a constant reminder to us of our determination to return to our home base with honor after we had expended all of our efforts to successfully complete every aspect of our mission.” As a father, he put his arms around each of his two sons before they left to serve their missions—Stephen to England and David to Germany—and whispered, “Return with honor.” –lds.org Elder Hales warned us about the how vertigo he had felt as a pilot applies to our obedience to the Gopsel.
