Many Utahns spent Memorial Day remembering those who have died while serving in the armed forces. At the William E. Christoffersen Salt Lake Veterans Home, residents gathered, some with family members, to honor service members who died.
Residents of the vets’ home who had passed away since Veteran’s Day last November were remembered in a slideshow. Their family members were given roses.
Governor Gary Herbert spoke at the ceremony. He acknowledged that on Memorial Day, many Americans enjoy a day off from work, spending time with family and celebrating the start of the summer season.
“But we have that opportunity because of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed much in allowing us to have this quality of life where we can comfortably celebrate with our families, on a weekend, in a very peaceful environment,” Herbert said.
Afterward, he spoke to reporters about prioritizing veterans’ needs.
“We have four veterans’ home throughout the state,” he said. “We could probably use two more. I think we have the opportunity to work with our congressional delegation to have one or two more built here over the next 4-6 years.”
Herbert also said the Veteran’s Cemetery is running out of room and he’d like to see more plots added.
Utah is home to about 160,000 veterans.
