Utah, this story does get told.
It is just not ever announced as the point story in the press. The privancy of the individuals involved is always attempted to be protected.
But, when something like this happens, the leadership and members in every knows something of it. Individual’s talk about it, including the person involved. Family members talk about it. Depending on the circumstances, the church leadership is completely appraised. In the councils of the leadership of thos ewards, they come together to try and help individuals who have such difficulties.
We have a good friend of one of our sons when that son went to France, this young man went to Mississippi. He lasted 10-11 months and came home with severe emotional issues. We are close to the family and they sought our help, including the young man involved. He knew us well, and we talked numerous times. As did many others in the ward.
He has gotten on with his life. Graduated in Computer Science and has taken a very good job with a School District down in the DFW area of Texas. I talk to him every 4-6 weeks and we will stop on our next trip down to MD Anderson and see him.
When you have 85,000 people involved in a program like this, where a strict schedule, discipline, and a lot of hard work is expected...then you are going to have some of these types of things take placve. It is part of our condition in mortality. Heck, we see it all the time in the US military, which service we all respect. It does not mean military service is bad, and it certainly does not mean necessarily that the individual has “done bad.”
So, having myself served, and now having had both of my sons serve, and having worked with these young men before, during, and after their service, I can tell you that the percentages are very small...but they are not taken lightly at all, and there is a huge effort to ensure that their is no “pallor” over the heads of those who have to come home for such reasons.
Now, it is a little more difficult when one of them gets out there and does really bad things...like fornication, or stealing, or something like that and then is sent home having either been dis-fellowshipped or excommunicated. As I am sure you are aware, that happens too every so often.
But when it does, we still try and work with them and try and help them get their life back in order, repent, and return to full fellowship in the church if they are willing...and their personal experience (other than them being home early) is not something that is trumpted about and used to beat them over the head with...at least not by the church itself. Their privacy is respected.
Anyhow...as you say...it is something that is difficult and that the Church and its leadership and members have to deal with.
Jeff, the story I suspect really is that certain of these kids should not go out in the first place. That severe social pressure is why I went and the absolute terror and shame of coming home early cannot be discounted.
When I got my call I had just been away at USU, had gone active in a fraternity and had a regular habit of Camel cigarettes. I had never attained anything close to being a true believer but went anyway because failing to do so would have caused such grief in my family that it was easier to go than not. To my wonderful surprise I went to Denmark and I worked very hard; had more conversions than anyone in the mission and ended up as the Branch President of Hjorring.
The first thing I did on my release was to buy a pack of Camel cigarettes, toured Europe for a month, went home and reported and remained a member in name only.
I am very proud of my heritage. Just never really believed the dogma.