Honoring A Forced March

I admire Kevin Henson. He has taken genealogy to a whole new level. He has made his heritage in the Mormon Battalion come alive by re-tracing (on foot) his great-grandfather's steps when in 1846 he set off with 500 of his fellow men to find their home in a land they had never seen. His is not an exact retracing as much of the trail is on private land or erased over the years...but the 2,000+ miles are real! Kevin is pictured here entering Santa Fe on October 9th where the city welcomed him with an appreciation for what the Mormon Battalion mean for the settling of the American West.


So it is with pride that I attempt to do my small part to honor my progenitor as well. Joseph Skeen, without question and in absolute faith of the outcome, left his wife and young children in the desolate but sacred area we now call Winter Quarters. Few know or appreciate the import of the words from Brigham Young when he stood before the worn and torn Battalion members one year later and said: "I say that these men now before me were saviors of this people and did save them from carnage and death. I bless you now and pray every good being to bless you."

My response to Brigham Young's prayer is to help people understand the sacrifice that was made by these brave men and women and in so doing inspire us to make the small sacrifices that are asked of us today. It is my hope that Battalion--The Musical to be performed in Huntsville next summer will accomplish some small portion of this task. If the audience walks away with a small understanding of the miracles associated with the adventure and a sense of the love that bound these men and women together as they took their journey apart...then mission accomplished. I invite you to mark the 26th or 27th of June for a night of music and drama in historic Huntsville for the outdoor production of the musical.


Colonel Thomas Kane, shown in this statue on the grounds of the Utah State Capitol, is evidence of how the Lord delivers his miracles. He was devoted to the survival and care of the Mormon people as he witnessed their expulsion from Illinois to a point of destruction as 30,000 refugees spread out across today's Iowa and Nebraska plains. In a letter to his father in Philadelphia, he said "It may be my life's work to look after this poor and mistreated people." Manipulating the formation of the Mormon Battalion from President Polk to negotiation of the peace process to avoid destruction at the hands of Johnston's army, it seemed that Thomas Kane was always there for the early Saints.

How different this country and this church would be today if not for the willingness of men to be led by a higher power. The musical production has a special number that I wrote specifically for Col. Kane titled "Is This My Task?" It is a bit of a soliloquy which reflects his internal struggle to understand his role in God's hand.

So next time you think of the near devastation by starvation and freezing weather that might have occurred at Winter Quarters...think of the sacrifice made by 500 men and their wives who had the faith to put their lives and those of their families in the hand of the Lord. There is so much more to their stories...I invite all to gain a new perspective on the challenges we are currently facing with the an appreciation for perseverance of those who have gone before.