Photo By Mark Schauer | On the morning of January 13, 2024, U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) Commander Col....... read more read more
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On the morning of January 13, U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) Commander Col. John Nelson spoke at a ceremony commemorating the U.S. Army of the West Mormon Battalion’s 1847 crossing of the Colorado River.
The annual ceremony at Yuma’s West Wetlands Park honors the Soldiers of the battalion, who were the first Army presence in what later became Yuma. YPG Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Millare also attended.
Following six months of grueling privation across difficult terrain, the battalion’s primary and most lasting contribution to American history was the founding and successful navigation of an all-weather southern route to California capable of sustaining wagon traffic.
In remarks at the ceremony, Nelson noted that Yuma Proving Ground’s work at the forefront of Army modernization efforts carries on the battalion’s legacy.
“Much of western American history as we know it would not have occurred without the crossing of the Mormon Battalion,” he said. “The efforts of this region that have touched all corners of the world ever since likewise would not have occurred as they did. To me, that makes the Soldiers of the Mormon Battalion and what they did very significant to all of us. The Mormon Battalion’s contribution to American history deserves to be respected and commemorated.”
| Date Taken: | 01.13.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.13.2024 16:24 |
| Story ID: | 461810 |
| Location: | YUMA, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 80 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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