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Alex Cabrero Reporting Governor Jon Huntsman visited members of the Utah National Guard today. Not in Utah, but on the U.S. Mexican border.
Utah National Guard troops on the border are split into three teams. There's a fence building team, a road building team, and a lighting-electrical building team. All three jobs are important. But for obvious reasons, the fence building team seems to be getting the most attention.
The U.S. and Mexico-- right between them is Sgt. Nathan Southam. He's helping to put up a fence that separates Mexico and America.
About 55 Utah National Guard troops are working the border.
"It humbles you for sure. You definitely want to build something that's going to last a lifetime," he says.
Sgt. Shad Loveland is proud of his contribution to the project. He's in charge of pouring the cement and setting posts. "Everybody's working well together and we know what we're doing."
Along most of the border, a thin yellow line is all that separates the two countries. It's not much of a physical barrier, which is the main reason the fence is being built.
Morale is good, especially today because Utah Governor Jon Huntsman stopped by.
These soldiers are in the middle of history, controversy, and strong emotions. But they try not to look at it that way. "This is more of a mission. You want to accomplish the mission," they say.
Governor Huntsman did not talk much about politics or the reason for the fence during his visit to the border today. He just said America needs to do something to control illegal immigration. He also said so does Mexico, and the two countries need to work together.
He says this isn't the final solution to the problem, but it is a step.
