Saturday, November 1, was a red-letter day for the U.S. Mormon Battalion! The culmination of many years of determined effort, the dedicatory services were a dream realized, a task achieved. The day was all sunshine and happiness and fall colors. Under the direction of Ltc. Teeples, Utah North Division commander, the "Battalion" marched in with banners flying, followed by the Ladies Auxiliary in their colorful pioneer dresses, and followed, in turn, by Company "M"--that always popular group of LDS missionaries. It was a thrill for the heart! Col. Clayton Fairbourn then welcomed a crowd of 700-plus citizens and Battalion families, together with honored guests: President Gordon B. Hinckley, Governor Michel Leavitt, Elder Dellenbach of the Seventy, and several other dignitaries, including former commanding officers: Cols. Marvin Smith (67-69), Elmer Jones (78-82), J. C. Richards (84-86), Paul Madsen (86-90), Don Abraham (91-93) and Grant Dalton (93-94). After Col. Fairbourn's review of the achievements of the original Battalion and the efforts of the present Battalion for the re-furbishing of the Monument, we heard from Governor Leavitt.
He reminded us that we don't dedicate monuments; we re-dedicate ourselves-but to what? That is what is important. He also stated that this was a day of P, remembrance--of past accomplishments by our noble ancestors. He told an incident where an ancestor said to her son as she gave him a dollar, "You may spend this when you are as worn out as this dollar." Of course, he never did, but gave it to his son with the same admonition.
President Shirley Maynes spoke of the women of the Battalion--the four who completed the march, those who went to Pueblo; and those who stayed with the Church in Iowa. All were valiant in their respective roles. Each deserves to be honored, and the Ladies Auxiliary memorialize these women today by placing a marker on their grave.
Col. Madsen, who has been the leader in refurbishing the monument, told of the need and how the Battalion has made great efforts to achieve this goal over the years. He reiterated Brigham Young's promise that "Men and nations will hold you in honorable remembrance," and how this promise has pushed us to fulfilling it. He gave a history of the monument, from its inception in 1920. A small group of women calling themselves the Daughters of the Mormon Battalion, requested the State legislature to "do something." The result was the efforts of four governors: Spry, Bangerter, Mabey, and Dern, and their legislatures--together with 75 thousand volunteers, who gave from 5 cents to several thousand dollars, to meet a goal of $200,000. The dedication took place May 30, 1927, with Pres. Charles Nibley dedicating the monument. The four side panels tell the story of the Battalion: The Enlistment; the March; the Discovery of Gold; and the Arrival of the Pueblo Detachment. The Mormon Battalion Man is meant to inspire us to be living memorials of their great dedication to the Call from a Prophet of God. Our present freedom is the result of their victorious achievement, he said. Col. Madsen then represented the Battalion in presenting President Hinckley with an honorary "Life Member of the Mormon Battalion" citation. President Hinckley began with a true but startling statement that, aside from the terrible suffering of the Handcart companies, the Mormon Battalion suffered more that any other group. We cannot fully appreciate today what they went through. They knew the freezing cold of the desert by night, and its blistering heat by day; the shortage of food; being without water for days-yet pushed to move along. He recalled past contacts with the Battalion: Ft. Stockton in San Diego, Ft. Moore in Los Angeles, Coloma in California (where he dedicated a monument), and this past summer in Tucson, (where he dedicated another). He noted that the Battalion pioneered in Colorado, Texas, Iowa, Arizona, and Utah. "Their loyalty was never questioned; their dedication was without peer." In his dedicatory prayer, he expressed gratitude for a beautiful morning, for residence in Utah and this Nation, for the restoration of the monument and for its preservation. It stands as a symbol of those men and women who served honorably and well. It will remind future generations of their heritage. It reminds us of great people who achieved great deeds. "May we re-dedicate ourselves to the service of others." As he was escorted to his car, the audience solely sang, "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet." The entire program was both meaningful and memorable, and a fitting end to our arduous but worthwhile efforts. May God bless the U.S. Mormon Battalion!