NORTH OGDEN, Utah — It is a group no one wants to be part of, but one that everyone reveres.
Gold Star families, relatives of the servicemen and women who died in America‘s fight for freedom.
On Tuesday, there was a groundbreaking ceremony for the Gold Star Monument in North Ogden.
It is situated in the middle of the North Ogden City Complex and will be the first of its kind in Utah.
Members of Gold Star families turned over the first shovels of soil for the monument.
Among them was Jennie Taylor, the widow of former North Ogden mayor and US Army National Guard Major Brent Taylor.
Major Taylor was killed in Afghanistan in November 2018, while on his fourth deployment for the Guard.
"Long before I ever knew my husband, I loved this country and I know he loved this country," Jennie Taylor said. "And though I regret how his life ended I know neither of us regret his service.”
Mrs. Taylor said while a ceremony like this is extremely emotional, it is also critically important for her and all of the Gold Star families.
She said the group has discovered there are a dozen Utah Gold Star families of servicemen who served during World War I.
“You know those who paid that ultimate sacrifice, paid it for a reason so that we could have a better life," Taylor said. "They lived and died with honor and now it’s on us to live with honor and pick that up.”
Construction on the monument will begin immediately and dedication is scheduled for July 15.
