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SALT LAKE CITY — There will be a little Utah culture in the Middle East for Pioneer Day. A couple of Utah Army National guardsmen are making sure they share a bit of the holiday with the soldiers serving near Khandahar, Afghanistan.
The Mormon Pioneers traveled thousands of miles, sacrificed their belongings and settled in a remote, strange place. It's that legacy that's both relevant and ironic to Whitney Houston and Rich Stowell.
“We always get together and have a barbeque at my sister’s house — and my family rarely gets together,” Houston said, describing how she spends a typical 24th of July back home.
“For me, I’m just a very proud Utahn,” Stowell said.
That's why the two plan to celebrate the Utah holiday at their military base. It's something they're sharing with fellow soldiers who have no idea what Pioneer Day is.
“It’s a topic of conversation, and it’s fun to get to know people and let them know where we’re from,” Stowell said. “From my experience, people just don’t quite grasp how meaningful it is to people who have grown up in Utah.”
The guardsmen are even planning a Days of '47 parade, but costumes and float decorations are obviously limited.
“We thought we could make a float … (but) we didn’t really have time to make a float out here,” Stowell said. “Maybe we could get a military vehicle and decorate it and drive it down the main drag, or something like that.”
Stowell and Houston are also hosting a barbecue. About 20 fellow Utahns are expected to show up, but they're inviting Afghanis and fellow soldiers as well.
“It’s just nice to have that perspective when you meet other people out here who are celebrating the pioneers and the sacrifices they made,” Houston said.
