Memorial Day is often a day of barbecues, fun and family gatherings, said Gov. Spencer Cox at the Utah Capitol on Monday. But he liked the morning’s rain, he said, not only because of the drought the state is experiencing, but because “a day like today helps us to really step back and remember what this is all about.”
Cox spoke at a Memorial Day ceremony organized by the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs and attended by dozens of Utahns. The event, which also included remarks from Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, was brief but meaningful.
“I thought it was very dignified and respectful,” Terry Rogerson, a veteran of the Vietnam War, told a Salt Lake Tribune reporter. “It honored the fallen soldiers of America and especially Utah, very much so.”
Another Vietnam veteran, David Howland of Taylorsville, had never been to a Memorial Day ceremony at the Capitol before Monday. His wife, Sherry Howland, said it can be hard for him to be around other veterans, because of his PTSD.
“But he still wants to do it, and represent the Vietnam War, because of how much it was locked down and wasn’t acknowledged for so long,” she said.
The ceremony was supposed to be held outside on the Capitol steps, but the wet, cool weather brought the crowd into the Rotunda. As they put their right hands over their hearts for the American flag, people also held umbrellas, listening somberly as the Utah National Guard Choir sang the national anthem.
After the choir’s performance, which resonated throughout the expansive space, Cox said the acoustics in the circular Rotunda make it “a terrible place to give a speech,” but “an amazing place to sing.”
Since World War I, nearly 3,000 Utahns have been killed while serving in the United States’ armed forces, he said, “and today, we hope to show them, their families and their descendants that we will never forget.”
The Capitol ceremony was one of many Memorial Day events happening around the state Monday to honor fallen veterans, Cox said, “and yet we continue to fall short in our efforts to pay tribute.”
“So today, I’m going to ask you not to try and remember what I say,” the governor continued. “Pay attention to what you feel today. I ask that you carry that respect and gratitude with you throughout this special day, and then carry it with you tomorrow, and the next day and the day after that.”
During Romney’s remarks, the senator said, “We’re all very lucky to live in Utah. ...This bounty of life is ours thanks to the men and women who won our freedom, who protect us from oppressors and who defend our nation from threats here and abroad.” Afterward, attendees crowded around him to have their photo taken.
Romney didn’t discuss policy at the Capitol ceremony, but he did speak to reporters while at the Utah Olympic Oval on Friday about keeping guns out of the hands of young people.
To conclude Monday’s event, a 21-gun salute was conducted by the Utah National Guard on the Capitol lawn, the smoke from each blast seeming to mingle with the gray clouds. The American flag outside and at all state facilities flew at half-staff until noon in honor of Memorial Day, as ordered by Cox.
Back inside the Rotunda, Sgt. 1st Class Morgan Davidson of the 23rd Army Band of the Utah National Guard played taps solemnly.
A wreath and flag display will remain up in the Rotunda throughout Memorial Day.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/j6abXGr
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