Mayor Lyle Holmgren – Mayors Message June 2024

Tremonton is a special place; it is one of the rare Utah communities not settled by Mormon pioneers. Instead, the town’s first residents were German Midwestern farmers, many from Tremont, Ill., or Ohio, or were Scandinavians who came west looking for fertile soil and found it. Farmers in the area grow some of the finest corn, wheat, and alfalfa found anywhere in Utah, bringing more than $134 million into the local economy. Manufacturing, technology, and food processing are important employers. It is home to the oldest rodeo in Utah, a county fair that is closing in on 100 years, and a 4-H and FFA junior livestock auction that is second to none.

But there is more to Tremonton. Governor Spencer Cox, in his recent address at Tremonton’s Memorial Day service, noted, “There is something different and special about this place and about the people who live here.” During that service, we learned more about the Borgstrom family. We learned about this family’s sacrifice during WWII, about the sacrifices of all those from our valley who served our country, for those who never returned, and for those who returned only to face grief and emotional burdens.

At the age of 13, as the school year ended, I resolved that summer to sleep out every night, and with only a few exceptions, I did. I shared this adventure with many neighborhood friends, including Randy Borgstrom. One time, Randy and I chose to sleep outside at his home.

Even at that young age, I knew about the Borgstrom brothers. That they went to war and, for one reason or another, were all killed. I knew Randy’s dad was related and hoped, in some way, he could tell me more. To my surprise, Randy didn’t want to talk about his dad or uncles. It would be many years later that I would fully understand the complex story of his family’s sacrifice.

In the recently published book, “So Costly a Sacrifice” by Mark Hutson, he wrote that on November 4, 1944, one month after Rulon was reported missing in action. Bishop Joseph Nelson heard a knock on his door. It was the telegraph man from Western Union. Again, Bishop Nelson dreaded seeing him. The rural farming community of Thatcher had one of the highest numbers of World War II fatalities in Northern Utah. Prior to this visit, the Western Union man had delivered the terrible news three previous times to Mrs. Borgstrom. When the bishop answered the door, he saw the look of despair on the telegram man’s face. Very few words were exchanged. The delivery man put the envelope in the bishop’s hand and said, “I cannot bear to see that woman faint again!” He turned and walked away.

Sacrifice. What is it? Certainly, leaving your family and putting your life on the line for a cause you believe in qualifies. But not everyone has been asked to make such a costly sacrifice. Governor Cox, in his Memorial Day address, commented, “The question I ask myself is what did they die for? What drove them to be willing to lay down their lives?”

He continued, “We often tell someone in military uniform, Thank you for your service. But how do we thank them for their service? We thank them for their service by serving.” We give back to the Borgstrom brothers and all those who served our country or are currently serving by caring about our neighbors, even those who are different from us.”

Patriotism is about getting up every morning and telling ourselves that we will give back. We are going to make Thatcher and Tremonton and Utah and the United States better today than yesterday. That we will give our lives, wearing them out if necessary, giving back to our community and our country.

That is what makes Tremonton a special place.