Jed Boal reporting

Many Utahns spent Valentine's Day deployed in a war zone, so Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker honored the wives of many Utah National Guardsmen serving in Iraq.

The spouses and families of our troops make sacrifices every day. This Valentine's Day they got a little love from the community and a chance to share their feelings with their soldiers.

Jennie Taylor's husband, Lt. Brent Taylor, serves with the 116th Security Force Company in Iraq. On a day we recognize the importance of our relationships, she's fortunate because her husband is home on leave.

 

"Sometimes it's hard to have a soldier deployed, and you feel like the world is spinning around you, and you're thinking you're the only one. Then you look around and realize there are hundreds of others, and it gives you a strength," Jennie said.

Lt. Taylor gets to see his wife and two young children today, and he thinks the families deserve more praise. "We couldn't go off and serve the country if we didn't feel like our families were going to be taken care of. I like this because it's recognition for the wives," he said.

 

Around 30 wives and family members of Utah National Guardsmen from the 116th and the 145th Field Artillery Battalion gathered for the breakfast sponsored by Hotel Monaco.

"This is an especially tough time, when spouses are without their loved ones on a day when we're celebrating and recognizing those relationships," Mayor Becker said.

The idea started with the Letters for Soldiers campaign. Students from American Fork Junior High and Pleasant Grove Junior High made 500 valentines for soldiers. The spouses also got a chance to send a video greeting to their soldiers in Iraq. A tribute to the soldiers' families and the support they give the troops and each other.

"You miss the ones you love, and when you come together it just provides that … almost fills the void," Jennie sid.

The soldiers from both units deployed nine months ago and should return home late April.

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