These generations are the greatest because they put service before self, an enduring principle for all of us. As a State, we need to ensure our veterans receive the care they have earned. It is time to build the Ogden Veterans Nursing Home.

The celebration of these exhilarating times must be matched with adequate preparation for the future. As I travel to the far corners of our State, I can feel the desire to reach higher. I sense an aspiration to perform beyond the ordinary. There is hopefulness in the air - it is our most powerful weapon as we anticipate our future.

We aren't an ordinary State, nor do we lack a sense of destiny, and our journey over the next few years will determine just how extraordinary we are. The higher ground we seek will require something from all of us. This begins by recognizing that our world is changing, so too are our needs.

For example, while in Ephraim, having lunch with my son at the Malt Shop, I was approached by a dairy farmer. Thinking maybe he wanted to discuss price subsidies, unfair trade competition or alfalfa prices, I was surprised when his concern was healthcare and how he was going to find health insurance for his employees. I asked him what he was going to do. He said he would do nothing because he had no affordable alternatives. Later, when riding a bike down Slick Rock in Moab, I had public lands policy on my mind. But from the locals I heard about the need for more qualified and better paid teachers.

Again, recently at Cache County's 150th anniversary, I expected someone to address agricultural issues. Instead, I learned about the need for improved air quality.

Historically, Utahns have always had the desire to reach higher. This great Capitol, dedicated in 1916, stands as a tribute to our early aspirations. Our ability to reach higher is perfectly illustrated by one story of success. The desire to prevail brought to Utah one of today's finest minds in science and medicine.

He was 4 years old when his mother was incarcerated during World War II, leaving him to wander the streets of Italy. After the War ended, and 18 months of searching, his mother found him in a hospital on his ninth birthday.

Finally reunited, they soon immigrated to the United States. He went on to pursue his education and completed his doctorate at Harvard University. He later joined the faculty at the University of Utah. Now he is known around the world for his genetic research. His discoveries will help end suffering and extend life.

Nothing represents our State better than our own Nobel Prize winner. So I say Bravo, and congratulazioni, to Dr. Mario Capecchi.