Question
Gramps,
Why didn’t President Monson go on a mission as a young man? What other apostles have not gone on a mission and why not?
Pam
Answer
Pam,
When questioning why our Prophet and some of the apostles did not serve a full time mission, one must think of the time frame they were born.
Many of these men were young men during the time of wars such as WWII and the Korean War. At the time, military service sometimes took precedence.
President Monson didn’t serve a mission as he served in the Navy during WWII.
Apostles that didn’t serve were:
Boyd K. Packer – After graduating from high school, he served as a bomber pilot for the U.S. Air Force during WWII.
Russell M. Nelson – Served in the Army during the Korean War.
Dallin H. Oaks – Because of his membership in the Utah National Guard, the threat of being called to serve in the Korean War kept him from serving a full time mission.
Robert D. Hales – Served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force
While they may not have served a full time mission as a young man, many of them did go on to serve as mission presidents.
All of them have gone on to dedicate their lives full time to service in the Church.