OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) — A massive sewing project is underway at the Sandy Expo Center, where Colonial Flag is working to repair ‘The Major.’ The flag suffered major wind damage last fall.
It once flew proudly over North Ogden’s Coldwater Canyon, and it carries the name and legacy of a man who meant so much to the community: Major Brent Taylor. The flag spans 78 by 150 feet and would cover nearly half of a football field.
Taylor was serving in Afghanistan in 2018 when he was killed in action. He was not only a military officer but also the sitting mayor of North Ogden, and the first U.S. elected official to die in combat since the Civil War.
“He was killed the Saturday before Election Day, which was one week before Veterans Day,” Jennie Taylor, his widow and founder of the Major Brent Taylor Foundation, told ABC4.com.
The community first honored the Major with a high-flying flag strung across Coldwater Canyon that Veterans Day in 2018.
“It had such an impact — not just on me, but our whole community,” Taylor said. “My husband, the father of our seven children, was gone. People immediately began fundraising to make sure we had a flag worthy of him. And that became ‘The Major’.”
Since 2019, the flag has flown each Veterans Day week in Coldwater Canyon. But in 2023, it had to be taken down early after heavy canyon winds caused a tear nearly 12 feet long.
Instead of being retired completely, ‘The Major’ is being reassigned to what Jennie calls “ground missions” — football games, parades, rodeos, and community events. A new flag will be commissioned to take its place in the sky.
This new flag, currently being made, will take about six to eight weeks to complete. According to Jacob Swenson at Colonial Flag, this version is specially reinforced to endure canyon winds and last for years to come.
This new flag still needs a name. You can go to majorbrenttaylor.com to cast your vote. That flag will be flown for two full weeks beginning Saturday, November 1.
