Group of LDS missionaries goes out in field again - this time as soldiers

MANTI — A group of returned LDS missionaries is going back to the field only this time it's the battlefield.

Six soldiers from a Manti National Guard unit have all returned from their LDS missions within the past 18 months. Their time home has been short. Now their country has called them back into service.

Originally, the National Guard told the soldiers they must report for duty in late February. But just a few weeks later the soldiers had the option to stay. All six volunteered to go.

"We had the option to back out, but we didn't," said Mark Parrish, of Mt. Pleasant.

The six soldiers — Parrish, Aaron Willardson, Brady Willardson, Eric Larsen, Ladd Bradley, Casey Hanson and Richard Brandt — all grew up in the closely linked towns of Manti and Ephraim in Sanpete County. All are graduates of Manti High School. All were serving LDS missions in 2002 and 2003, and now all are, once again, serving together in the 1st Battalion's 145th Field Artillery unit, Battery B.

In December, four Utah National Guard units from the 2nd Battalion, 222nd Field Artillery, were called up. The activated units are Battery A based in Richfield, Battery C based in St. George, Battery HHB of Cedar City and the Service Battery based in Beaver. The units are now at Camp Shelby, Miss., training for service in Iraq.

After arrival at Camp Shelby, the Army determined that the four units didn't have enough men for their missions, Lt. Col. David Thomas said. So members of other field artillery units in Utah who had not served active duty time in connection with the Iraq conflict received call-up orders. The Guard also put out a call for volunteers.

That put the six Manti-based soldiers at risk for a possible call-up.

On March 5, Guardsmen not yet at Camp Shelby who had either received activation orders or were considering volunteering met at Camp Williams. That was when the men who had received orders, including the six returned missionaries from Sanpete County, were told that the Guard had more than enough volunteers and that they didn't need to go if they didn't want to.

All six quickly volunteered after the meeting.