Utahns in D.C. react to inauguration

Some Utahns at Barack Obama's inaugural on Tuesday were moved to tears. Others were almost literally crushed by crowds. Still, all said they were thrilled to be part of a history making day.

Following is reaction and stories from some Utahns:

Rob Miller, vice chairman of the Utah Democratic Party, said he was teary eyed as he described what for him was a powerful experience at the swearing-in ceremony.

"His speech afterward made me realize how important it is to work with Republicans, independents and all people to respect their opinions, to say we may disagree but I respect you. Let's find a way to work together," he said.

He noted that he was at the Capitol beginning at 7 a.m. "It was a long wait, but it was worth every minute of it just to be part of history, not a witness to history, but part of history. It made me a little more dedicated."

Miller said it all made him "just grateful, humbled and thankful to live in the United States of America."

He concluded, "We have another great American president, as long as we help him."

Todd Weiler, vice chairman of the Utah Republican Party, had adventures, including being crushed by crowds and seeing people climb trees and porta-potties to try to get better views of the swearing-in.

"And these were people with the good tickets," he said.

He said he followed the printed directions to get to the entrance of his section. "And I stood in a crowd of about 10,000 people that never moved for about two hours. It was a dead end but nobody knew it and nobody could get out."

He said, "People were literally being crushed and injured. They brought four ambulances through our crowd, and we were crushed even more. At one point, I had my arms over my head and I couldn't lower them."

He finally worked his way out of that crowd and arrived at the real entrance just when the ceremony was beginning. He found his section was full, with thousands more with tickets trying to enter. "That crowd crushed in and did the same thing. It was like a big inaugural hug," he said.

"There were actually people standing on top of porta-potties to try to see, and people climbing trees trying to see over the crowd," he said. "Even to see the Jumbo-tron, people would have to push and shove."

But, he said, "Even with all of that, I'm glad I was here. It was an historic day. The most poignant thing for me was seeing literally hundreds of thousands of African Americans here who are just so proud of the country today, and I am proud with them. And it's Obama-mania."

Sen. Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake, said he didn't have the best view of President Obama's inauguration from his spot in a VIP standing-room only area. But, Davis said, he could clearly feel the magic of the moment.