Brent Taylor’s death in Afghanistan prompts huge show of support in North Ogden
A massive American Flag spans Coldwater Canyon in North Ogden on Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, to honor Brent Taylor, North Ogden Mayor and Utah Army National Guard major who was killed in Afghanistan on Nov. 3, 2018.
Veterans carry a large American Flag into Baker Park Amphitheater in North Ogden on Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, to honor Brent Taylor, North Ogden Mayor and Utah Army National Guard major who was killed in Afghanistan on Nov. 3, 2018.
Veterans unfurl a large American Flag at a vigil in Baker Park Amphitheater in North Ogden on Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, to honor Brent Taylor, North Ogden Mayor and Utah Army National Guard major who was killed in Afghanistan on Nov. 3, 2018.
Community members gather for a vigil at the Baker Park Amphitheater in North Ogden on Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, to honor Brent Taylor, North Ogden Mayor and Utah Army National Guard major who was killed in Afghanistan on Nov. 3, 2018.
Jennie Taylor, wife of Brent Taylor, speaks at a vigil at the Baker Park Amphitheater in North Ogden on Veteran Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, to honor her husband, the North Ogden Mayor and Utah Army National Guard major who was killed in Afghanistan on Nov. 3, 2018.
NORTH OGDEN — Kay Armstrong wonders at what could have been.
In the wake of the death of Maj. Brent Taylor while serving in Afghanistan, she wonders about the things he could have done.
“I feel like he was a man who really had potential,” said the North Ogden woman, who lives down the street from the Taylor home but is familiar with Taylor mainly through his role as the North Ogden mayor. Given his ability to work effectively with people of varying political perspectives, she continued, Taylor is “the kind of person we need today. … There’s so much animosity and he seemed like the type of person who could work with people.”
Taylor, on leave from the mayoral post while serving with the Utah Army National Guard in Afghanistan, died Nov. 3 after a member of the Afghan special forces contingent he was helping train turned on him and attacked him. The killing shocked residents of North Ogden and the rest of the state, reverberating across the country and beyond, and has caused a tremendous show of support. Yellow ribbons adorn light poles and trees around the city, at least two area billboards praise Taylor for his service and a GoFundMe campaign has generated around $475,000 in contributions for the man’s family. A vigil last Wednesday drew hundreds, with another held Sunday evening.
Early Sunday morning, a group of North Ogden residents and trail runners carried an American flag weighing several hundred pounds up the mountain and unfurled it over Coldwater Canyon. The flag, known as “Big Betsy,” was illuminated as part of Taylor’s vigil.
“I’ve been pleasantly astounded by the outpouring,” said Phillip Swanson, a member of the North Ogden City Council. “It’s been quite amazing.”
Perhaps when any U.S. service member dies while serving the country the response is strong. But Taylor’s death struck a particularly strong chord, Swanson thinks, in part because he was also a mayor and, more significantly, because of his leadership style and the potential he seemed to radiate.
“Locally, Brent was well-loved because he made everybody feel important,” Swanson said. Whether or not he agreed with a constituent “you knew Brent was listening and cared about your opinion.” He noted a Facebook page Taylor ran as mayor, inviting public comment and responding to queries about city matters, and his “millennial openness.”
Like Armstrong, Lincoln Nelson, who also lives down the street from Taylor, wonders about the lost potential. Half-joking, he thinks Taylor, a major in the Utah Army National Guard — now led by Maj. Gen. Jeff Burton — had the people skills and education to eventually lead the military organization.
“He could be general,” Nelson said. He quickly added: “I don’t want to scare Gen. Burton.”
Meredith Wurm, a family friend who’s helping spearhead efforts to drum up support for Taylor’s widow, Jennie Taylor, and the couple’s seven children, remembers talking jokingly about actions Taylor would take when governor, envisioning him one day leading Utah.
Hundreds of people have said they want to help the family, and she’s been helping organize and direct efforts to tap the goodwill given the considerable needs of the family going forward.
“I was excited with what he was going to do, not only with this community, but with the state,” Wurm said. She first met him when he knocked on her door several years ago as a North Ogden City Council candidate and later became close friends with the Taylor family.
Taylor, 39, was in his second term as mayor and had previously served on the North Ogden City Council. He also served on the Utah Transit Authority Board of Trustees before stepping down to travel to Afghanistan last January for a year-long military stint in the country with the National Guard. It was his second tour of duty in Afghanistan, on top of two other deployments to Iraq.
’WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE HIM'
Though his military service seems to be central in the accolades and attention Taylor has received nationally and beyond since his death, locals talk up his tenure as a leader here in Weber County.
“He’s our mayor and we absolutely love him as our mayor. He’s able to work with everybody,” said Shirlee Nelson, Lincoln Nelson’s wife. “You considered him a friend even when you didn’t know him because of the things he’d done.”
Wurm echoed that, said it’s why so many have come forward, wanting to help the family. She’s created several committees of volunteers, each charged with overseeing a different aspect of aid for the family — errands, babysitting, housework and more. The seven Taylor kids range in age from 13 to about 1 and Jennie Taylor has been a stay-at-home mom.
“If you knew him, he loved everybody. He was just so caring,” Wurm said. “I think (the public) can see and feel the sincerity in what he does.”
Kristy Pack, Jennie Taylor’s sister and Brent Taylor’s sister-in-law, said even when Taylor was in North Ogden, his mayoral duties occupied much of his focus. He was quick to respond to constituents, spent countless hours at city meetings and was always willing to attend gatherings when invited. There are no regrets about his dedication, however. It was a conscious decision.
“They knew that. They made that decision as a family to give that type of service,” Pack said.
Now, the outpouring, she thinks, is the recognition of those who dealt with him of all he did. “It speaks to his years of sacrifice, his service,” she said.
Whatever the spur, though, the billboards, the kind words, the donations, the yellow ribbons — all of it has buoyed the family, moved them emotionally, helped them deal with their loss. Pack noted a trip to a North Ogden supermarket recently and her encounter with a cashier, who fondly remembered Taylor as a customer.
“She’s in tears,” said Pack, who tried to comfort the young lady. “Those things matter. You can feel it.”