Photo of the day: Honoring the past, looking to the future

Gov. Spencer Cox and other elected Utah officials joined in honoring those who have served their country in peacetime and during conflict during a Memorial Day commemoration service early Monday at the Capitol.

Under blue skies and warm weather, the governor offered a tribute with those who have gone before.

“The reason we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world is because we were the first and only nation that was formed on an idea,” Cox said. “It wasn’t just about historic boundaries ... it was not that at all. It was that we were fighting for an idea. And that idea, it was a profound idea, it was a radical idea: this idea that all of us are created equal.”

“And those rights do not come from government,” he continued. “We’re born with those rights from on high. ... And that idea, just that idea, changed the course of human history. And here’s the thing, we didn’t just believe that Americans were born with those freedoms, we believe that all humankind — Black, white, brown, green, red, purple — all of us were born with these rights.”

Other speakers included 1st District Rep. Blake Moore, who spoke of America’s role as a stabilizing force in the world, and those who have served their country. Rep. Burgess Owens, 4th District, also attended the gathering, along with representatives of the Utah National Guard and U.S. Armed Forces stationed in Utah. Utah National Guard’s 23rd Army Band also performed at the service.

Cox also paid tribute to some of the Utahns who have been killed recently while serving in Afghanistan.