North Ogden, UT – Follow The Flag will begin ‘Flag Week’ in Coldwater Canyon in the early morning of Nov 2nd 2019, which will feature the unfurling of the world’s largest free-flying American flag. The flag will continue to fly throughout the week until Nov 12th.

Nov 3rd – Veterans Day Community Program at the Amphitheater in Barker Park with performances from local musicians and guest speaker Jennie Taylor, widow of Major Brent Taylor, who was the Mayor of North Ogden City before losing his life in Afghanistan.

Nov 3rd-12th – Follow The Flag, in conjunction with Colonial Flag is proud to sponsor a Field of Honor® for the first time. The Field of Honor® will display hundreds of flags with name tags of active duty soldiers and veterans from the city and neighboring communities.

Other activities such as a blood drive, youth night, fun run/hike and a Day of Service will be available to the community to honor veterans.

A Gold Star Monument will be installed in North Ogden, honoring heroes.

            The freedom that citizens of the United States experience is fought for and protected by those who put their personal issues behind and their lives on the line. To honor the heroes from North Ogden, such as former mayor and National Guardsman Brent Taylor, and make sure that their sacrifices are not in vain, a Gold Star Families Memorial Monument will be installed in North Ogden.

            Jennie Taylor, widow of Brent Taylor, realized one of these monuments would be perfect for the city and its extensive history of service members. In a partnership between the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation, the Major Brent Taylor Legacy Foundation, and the Follow the Flag North Ogden team, the monument will be erected. It is not just in honor of Taylor and his family, but of all the North Ogden families who have lost a loved one while they were serving.

            Composed of granite, black and gold in color, the monument tells a story on its two sides. On one side, the four granite panels reads: Homeland, Family, Patriot, and Sacrifice. Each panel displays a scene that reflects on the Gold Star Families and their loved ones who have fallen. The other side is engraved with the words “Gold Star Families Memorial Monument,” a tribute to Gold Star Families and Relatives who have sacrificed a loved one for our freedom. The mainstay of the monument is front and center; a cut out representative of a loved one who sacrificed for our freedom.

            The purpose of the monument is to preserve the memories of those who have fallen, and remind individuals that their freedom is not truly free, but instead provided by dedicated men and women who serve our country, some at the ultimate cost. It will surely fit right into North Ogden, already defined by patriotism with the banners of many different service members being displayed along a stretch of Washington Boulevard.

Hershel “Woody” Williams established the project in 2010 with the foundation of the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation. Williams is a former marine and a Medal of Honor recipient who fought in the second battle of Guam and the battle of Iwo Jima during World War 2. The foundation is a charitable, not for profit organization that recommends the public and local leaders establish these monuments in communities across the country.

            Placement of the monument is to occur on Memorial Day in 2020. It will be placed on the grounds of the North Ogden City office complex, next to the flagpole and surrounded by the library and city courthouse. The entire cost of the monument is $60,000, and the community is encouraged to help support the cause by donating. Donations can be taken at any branch of Zions Bank under the account name “Major Brent Taylor Foundation.” There is also a gofundme page which accepts donations.

            North Ogden’s resilience and its residents’ ability to support each other in times of need is impressive and inspiring. The bond will only get stronger with the construction of this new monument.