When Chief Warrant Officer Leopold Antone Yost joined the Army of his adopted country in 1904, he lied about his age to get in.
And when his career eventually brought him to Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City, he was such a popular officer that then-Gov. George H. Dern locked horns with military officials to keep Yost, a noted band director, and his horns in the state for 20 years.Saturday, as part of Memorial Day weekend ceremonies, quiet citizens honored the dedicated officer at Fort Douglas, who has been buried there since 1951.
It was one way the fort honored all officers and men who gave their lives - many of them unknown - that others and their nation might live.
While bagpipes played "Amazing Grace," Yost's daughters, Helen Marceli and Adele High, joined Rep. Wayne Owens, D-Utah, in placing a wreath on his grave, ending a ceremony that included brief remarks from Owens and the fort's commanding officer, along with music and military honors.
Yost was born in Austria in 1881. After joining the Army, he served two tours of duty in the Philippines and served on the border during the Mexican Revolution. He won the "Best Band" trophy in Europe during World War I from Army Gen. John J. Pershing in 1918.
The self-taught trumpet player led the band at Fort Douglas and other civic bands during his long stay in Utah. He often played at the Fort Douglas gazebo and on radio.
He retired in 1941 after 36 years of service, only to be recalled the next year after World War II broke out. He left the Army again in 1945, but continued with his civic bands, including one at the University of Utah.
About 100 people attended the respectful ceremony and sat quietly. Wind whipped small flags placed at each grave.
After music from the Cypress High School Chorus and the Capital English Brass Band, Owens referred to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and his reference that words cannot hallow the ground of our honored dead more than their acts have already done.
Owens took special care to honor veterans of our most recent war. "The Vietnam War effort was different."
Although the country got involved for good reasons, in the end Americans were not sure why they got involved because the government it defended was as despotic as its invader, Owens said.
And when Vietnam veterans returned, they weren't honored as heroes, which left many feeling rejected.
The war left wounds that have not completely healed, as evidenced by the thousands who visit the Washington, D.C., Vietnam Memorial each day.
Owens said all people who work quietly and effectively to serve their country in all manners should be remembered on Memorial Day.
The Fort Douglas Cemetery was established in 1862. Many notables, including the fort's first commander, Col. Patrick Edward Connor, and a territorial governor, James Duane Doty, are buried there. American soldiers from six wars and 64 foreign prisoners of war also rest there.
"A soldier is required to practice the greatest act of sacrifice. He or she must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war," the written program said. "We must remember: Only the dead have seen the end of war," it concluded.
Owens, noting the recent, hopeful democratic trends in Eastern Europe, said "I hope and pray that (the program) isn't true."
The ceremony was the first of the Memorial Day weekend observances. Also planned are:
- The Utah Veterans Memorial Park at Camp Williams will be dedicated during Memorial Day ceremonies that will include speakers, band music, jet and helicopter flyovers, the lighting of an eternal flame and a 21-gun artillery salute.
The Memorial Day program is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 28.
Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, a Utah native serving as President Bush's assistant national security adviser, will be the principal speaker.
- The public is invited to attend Memorial Day Weekend celebrations at Camp Floyd and the Stagecoach Inn Complex near Fairfield.
On Sunday, May 27, members of the American Legion will conduct their traditional Memorial Day service at Camp Floyd Cemetery.