Just Back From Russia With Love
Los Angeles Times 5Dec99 P2
By Eric Sondheimer

Soon after landing at LAX returning from a mission for the LDS Church to Volgagrad, Russia, Steve McKeon had one simple request. He wanted to go to In-N-Out Burger and eat a double double. "I never in my life had trouble finishing a double double," he said. "I couldn't finish. It was foreign to me."

Now McKeon is trying to adjust to life after a mission. A former high school quarterback and a West Point cadet and junior varsity quarterback, McKeon used to think that football was everything, but now he is even struggling with whether or not he should return. He will go back to West Point in January, and go through spring football training before deciding whether or not to play.

Not very long ago, McKeon would have been accused by Russians of being a spy because he was a West Point Cadet. Now, that is no longer an issue. But during his mission, McKeon did face some questions about the U.S. and what the country was doing in Kosovo. "They asked, 'What is your country doing?' " he said. "I was like, 'You're talking to the wrong guy. I haven't read a newspaper in two years. I haven't watched a TV in two years. I just want to talk about Jesus Christ.' "