NORTH OGDEN, Utah -- The Mayor of North Ogden, Brent Taylor, has been killed in Afghanistan after being deployed to the country as part of the Utah National Guard.
Taylor, who has served with the Utah National Guard since 2013, was deployed in January of this year.
The Utah National Guard said in a statement Saturday that a service member died in an "insider attack" in Kabul on Nov. 3. Initial reports indicated that the attacker was a member of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, the statement said.
"These reports also indicate the attacker was immediately killed by other Afghan Forces," the statement said. "The incident is under investigation."
Utah Governor Gary Herbert and Maj. Gen. Jefferson S. Burton are planning to address the media at a press conference scheduled for Sunday at 12 p.m. at the Utah National Guard's Draper Headquarters.
"Per Department of Defense policy, the name of the deceased service member will be released 24 hours after next of kin notification," the statement said. "Additional information will be released as appropriate."
North Ogden City Councilman Phil Swanson confirmed that Taylor passed away Saturday. He told Fox 13 that Taylor was a "one of a kind" person and that he knew him for several years.
Taylor had seen multiple deployments to Iraq as well as deployments to Afghanistan. This time around, he was serving as an intelligence officer training Afghan forces.
“Another month has flown by since my last update,” Taylor wrote in an update on his deployment in April. “Things are going great, and I absolutely love the dedicated US and Afghan soldiers I serve with every day.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Taylor's family and can be found here.
Utah politicians and members of the North Ogden community shared their condolences and remembered Taylor Saturday. Their statements can be found here.
Taylor's family sent the following statement on his passing:
"On behalf of Major Brent Taylor’s family—his wife Jennie; his children Megan (13), Lincoln (11), Alex (9), Jacob (7), Ellie (5), Jonathan (2), and Caroline (11 months); along with his parents, siblings and other family members—we would like to express our sincere appreciation for the outpouring of love and support during this unspeakably difficult time.
Brent’s life impacted so many of us in remarkable ways, and we are grateful for the expressions of gratitude and sympathy that we have received. We are especially grateful for the love and support shown to Brent’s grieving children.
As one of many, many military families to give the ultimate sacrifice, we also want to express our love for this great nation and the pride that we feel knowing that Brent gave his life in service to his country—the country he and Jennie both love so much.
Even in this time of heartbreak, we feel the closeness of our Eternal Father in Heaven and the comfort of knowing that the Lord has welcomed home one of His most beloved sons.
For those who wish to provide support to Jennie and her seven young children, they can donate to the Taylor Family Charitable Account at America First Credit Union, or donations may be made through this Go Fund Me site: https://www.gofundme.com/mayor-brent-taylor"
Taylor appeared on 3 Questions with Bob Evans in 2017. The interview can be seen below:
