Missions over military
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Re "News of lower mission age excites Mormons" (Tribune, Oct. 7):
The new policy change by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that lowers the age for potential missionaries from 19 to 18 will certainly further reduce the number of Utahns who serve in our military.
Utah already ranks 49th in enlistments per capita. This is a remarkable statistic for a state that has always strongly supported our military and wars in Vietnam through Iraq and Afghanistan.
It seems our LDS neighbors are fine with supporting these conflicts, as long as their own children are serving missions and not joining our armed services.
Larry S. Smith
Salt Lake City