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LAYTON — Zach Butterfield tore up his knee playing football and couldn't join the U.S. military to serve his country.
His car, a flashy 2006 silver Mustang, is the way he shows his gratitude to his four relatives who were killed in combat, including his great-grandfather and great-uncle.
Their names — Louris Chidester, Jack Andreason, Michael Wayne Duggan and Dyland Maynard — adorn the side of the sports car, as does the U.S. Army star and the ripping teeth of a shark.
"If I can't be in the military, I might as well honor them as best I can," the Layton resident said.
Butterfield's car was one of many featured in an auto show at Layton Commons Park that was part of Saturday's Sounds of Freedom festival, an annual event that pays tribute to Utah military members, both past and present.
Dubbed "Blood, Sweat and Gears," the festival featured food, fun and games — the military members were served free lunch — and a raffle in which Willard residents Gary and Janice Wetzel walked off with an owl made of metal she plans to put in the yard.
The Wetzels were there to show off their 1925 Ford and support the patriotic event, which is in its fifth year.
Larry Podwys was manning the booth for American Legion Post No. 87 in Layton, where he serves as its commander. Multiple varieties of buttons declaring "Support Our Troops" or "United We Stand" were on sale for $5, as were bracelets and magnetic ribbons to attach to vehicles.
The money, he explained, supports the organization's sponsorship of activities like Girls State and Boys State, as well as Honor Flight, a nonprofit organization which arranges flights for veterans to visit memorials in Washington, D.C.
Podwys, a Vietnam veteran, said the post is about 200 members strong, fortified with help from Layton's strong ties to the military through its proximity to Hill Air Force Base.
Of course, the legion could always use more participation, he said.
"We need more members. The louder our voices will be in Washington," Podwys said, adding that veterans' benefits always tend to be among the first expenditures cut by Congress.
Podwys said the rain may have chased away some visitors, but many people stuck it through, whipping out umbrellas or scrambling for cover under exhibitors' tents.
"It's a good event," he said.
