In 1953, the Korean War was in full swing. At the time, the Church was very limited in who they could send on missions. In 1951–1952, the Church could not call any draft-eligible men of missionary age. It was only with special permission from the U.S. government the Church could send one man from each ward to serve a mission, and President Henry (Hal) B. Eyring's bishop, Alvin R. Dyer, had asked him if he would be willing to be that missionary.
