SALT LAKE CITY — When Vice President Mike Pence stepped off Air Force Two on Wednesday, 10-year-old Alex Taylor was waiting on the tarmac — alongside his mother, Jennie, and Gov. Gary Herbert — in a gray suit too warm for the blazing early evening sun.
Alex, the son of the late Utah National Guard Maj. Brent Taylor, who was killed in an insider attack on a Kabul, Afghanistan, training center in November 2018, described being part of the welcoming party and meeting the vice president as “really cool” as he clutched a commemorative Air Force Two coin he’d received as a gift.
His mother’s voice cracked with emotion as she spoke about meeting Pence.
“He said some very nice things. He said it was his honor to meet us, which we, of course, feel honored to meet him. He thanked us for our service, for Brent’s sacrifice, and he told Alex that our country is very proud of his dad and his mom,” Jennie Taylor said.
“That really touched me, that he knew who I was, knew who we are, was aware of our family and our situation. He was very personable,” she said, calling it “surreal to stand there and greet the vice president and welcome him to our beautiful state. I still can’t believe this is happening.”
The Taylors met the vice president’s plane at the request of the White House, Herbert spokeswoman Anna Lehnardt said. “We were of course very happy they chose to honor the Taylor family,” she said.
The vice president offered Alex a chance to see inside the 737 aircraft that had touched down about 10 minutes before the scheduled 6:25 p.m. arrival at the general aviation portion of the Salt Lake City International Airport, then taxied slowly toward an enthusiastic invited crowd.
“We got a little tour. There were lots of seats,” Alex said, who also took note of the galley for food service. “We saw where the pilots would sit and drive the plane.”
Not only did Alex see the cockpit, the three Air Force majors piloting Air Force Two invited him to sit in the pilot’s seat. Asked which was cooler, the vice president or his plane, Alex quickly offered a diplomatic response.
“I don’t know,” he said.
Alex was ready with a gift for the pilots — pins marking the life of Brent Taylor, who served as North Ogden mayor and as a Utah Transit Authority trustee, which were handed out by the family at his funeral.
“We shared a little piece of us with them,” Jennie Taylor said. “And they shared with us.”