NORTH OGDEN, Utah — A local service member who was wounded while serving in the U.S. Army, deployed ‘The Major’, one of the countries largest American flags over the Wasatch Front this weekend.
SFC. Travis Vendela, USA (Ret.) lost both of his legs, suffered significant damage to his pelvis, broke his arm, jaw and neck when an improvised explosive device exploded underneath him while he was serving in Iraq in 2007.
“He’s a hero,” said Tiffany Vendela, Travis’ wife. “The things he has to go through and the things that he’s done for this country, but the daily sacrifices that he makes because of pain or the things that he can’t do normal.”
On Saturday, Honor the Hero Foundation and Weber County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue helped guide Vendela and his family into the Coldwater Canyon area of North Ogden. Weber County Search and Rescue helped to modify a saddle so Travis could ride horseback up the trail.
When the horses arrived at the overlook, Vendela was helped onto a stretcher, where he was lowered by personnel down to a platform area. That is where Travis awaited the moment for his reveal of ‘The Major’, a flag that stretches across the canyon.
“When you’re in combat and you see anybody with a flag flying around, an American flag, it puts chills on the back of your neck for some reason,” said Vendela. “Just seeing everybody come together for a flag, that means more to me than I think anything.”
For Vendela and his family, the horseback trip and seeing the flag unfurl was more than just about the experience to remember his time served; this was a memorable morning for Travis, his wife and his three children.
“It’s the first time in 15 years since I got blown up, that I actually went up a trail like this and to see my own family in front of me all riding horses you know, from six-years-old all the way up to 39-years-old, watching them all doing there thing, was short but it’s been one of the highlights of my life since getting blown up,” said Vendela.
“I’m super thankful for everything that we’ve been able to do because we haven’t been able to come up in the mountains as a family like this so, it’s awesome,” said Tiffany Vendela.
