DAY 12
October 15, 2006

My Mom and Dad came down to walk this weekend and shared a motel room with Kristen, Eliza and I. It was fun – like a sleepover. In the morning, my Mom said it looked like rain. She was right.

Before the rain started, we met Joe, Don and Phil, three members of Veterans for Peace who drove up from California for the walk. My Dad gave everyone an impromptu history lesson about the Scandinavian migration to the area – our ancestors included. Nels Albert Thompson left Denmark and came to Utah in the 1850s. He had a son, Niels Albert, who had a son, Evan Clarence, who had a son, Douglas Evan, who had me, Marshall. As you can tell, I’ve heard Dad’s lecture a few times before.

As we walked through Ephraim, we picked up more walkers. The Laws, longtime family friends, came. It was Nancy Law’s birthday and we sang to her when we stopped for lunch at the Bright Spot in Manti. She said it was a great way to spend her day.

Some locals, English, Cameron and Jill, showed up as well as the Olsons from Fillmore, Utah. I was particularly happy to meet the Olson’s since their son was my LDS group leader in Iraq. They were happy to report that he’d just arrived home safely a few days earlier. What wonderful news.

The most impressive thing today was Don, a Korean War vet who walked 15.6 miles. He kept saying he’d see how far he could go, and then he just kept going. He walked through Ephraim, Manti and past Sterling, cracking jokes the whole way.

As we passed the Manti Temple, we saw the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers holding a memorial for the Mormon Battalion across the street. A crowd of about 100 people had gathered to honor the group of Mormons who had signed up for the Mexican War after Brigham Young had called for volunteers.

It struck me as odd that so many would gather to honor the dead while people are currently dying in Iraq. I understand and appreciate their respectful gesture toward our ancestors. I just wish they could feel the same urgency and concern about those who are currently fighting. The Mormon Battalion deserves respect and the men and women fighting in Iraq deserve the same. They deserve a responsible plan for withdrawal.

In the afternoon, the rain cleared up and we had a great walk to the finish. I tried to thank Joe, Phil and Don for coming so far to walk with me, but they wouldn’t hear it. For them, it was an honor to do anything they could for peace. For me, it was an honor to walk with great people like I did today.