Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson honored sacrifices at Memorial Day service, urging remembrance.
- She reflected on Theodore Roosevelt Jr.'s bravery during D-Day at Utah Beach.
- Henderson encouraged community service, drawing inspiration from personal loss and Roosevelt's words.
SANDY — During a visit to the Normandy American Cemetery several years ago, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said she was struck by the story of Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the son of President Theodore Roosevelt and the oldest man among the first wave of troops to land at Utah Beach on D-Day.
"Fifty-six doesn't seem all that old to me now, but he was so old that he had arthritis and he had to walk with a cane, and that didn't stop him from going back and forth between the boats to help spur his men along," Henderson said. "In fact, when they landed, they landed much farther south ... than where they were supposed to land. But what (Brig.) Gen. Roosevelt said was: 'We'll start the war from right here.'"
Roosevelt would survive the assault on D-Day but died of a heart attack just over a month later in France.
Roosevelt's call to "start the war from right here" has continued to resonate with Henderson, the lieutenant governor told a crowd of service members and their families at a Memorial Day service at Larkin Sunset Gardens cemetery Monday. As hundreds walked solemnly through the cemetery to pay respect to loved ones, Henderson urged Utahns not to forget the sacrifices made by so many in the name of freedom.
"I hope that we can all remember this is more than a holiday. This is a holy day. This is a day of remembrance," she said. "It's a day of deep gratitude and reflection. It's also a day of celebration because what we have been given is so dear it must be remembered and it must be celebrated."
She said she has drawn on Roosevelt's words to inspire her own public service and she interprets them to mean that there is more each American can do to serve in their own community.
"We don't have to give up our lives in service to our country — although so many people have and we are so grateful that they have — but we can give our lives in service every day, from doing big things and small things to make our state, our community and our country a better place," Henderson said. "And I know that each of you do that in your own way and I encourage you to do that."
Henderson said she is familiar with the pain many feel on Memorial Day. Amanda Mayne, the lieutenant governor's cousin, was shot and killed by her ex-husband in 2022 and is buried at the cemetery where Henderson spoke Monday.
"The loss that we feel, the pain that we feel when we lose those we love is deep, but we can fill that cavern that pain carves with action, with joy, with hope, with service to each other, to our community and to our country," she said. "And it is my hope today that we all increase our resolve to do so."
