Mormon Battalion show — tale of unsung heroes

The accomplishments of the Mormon Battalion were as significant as the completion of the transcontinental railroad. That's what KUED-TV producer Ken Verdoia has concluded with his newest documentary, "Battalion," to be shown Monday, July 21, 8-10 p.m. on Ch. 7.

"This is a great American story," Verdoia told the Deseret Morning News, since the Mormon Battalion's efforts comprised one of the primary threads that bound an expanding nation together.

"In the simplest terms, they were part of a series of events that changed the way our nation thought of itself," he said. "The battalion's role in the war with Mexico was small from a military standpoint, but terribly important in realizing 'Manifest Destiny' — the dream of a coast-to-coast nation."

The group's only combat was with a herd of rampaging bulls in the Tucson area, but the patriotism and other accomplishments of the Mormon Battalion on the American frontier may well rank its members among the nation's most unsung of heroes. It's also no coincidence the show is airing between the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day. Other than a few small LDS Church-produced segments on the battalion, this is the first in-depth documentary on the group.

Not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Verdoia said essentially this is a great human-interest story. After its KUED premiere, he plans on giving it to PBS-TV Network and said very strong interest in airing the program has already come from stations in New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California.

The battalion helped establish an American presence in California, and its pay helped Brigham Young finance the settlement of Utah territory.

Robert P. Paul of today's Mormon Battalion heritage group said the community can better appreciate the enormous contributions of the battalion through this new documentary.

"We believe this will help keep this great story alive," Paul said. "The film is really a historical work."

In essence, Brigham Young recruited some 500 of his best men to enlist in the army to fight Mexico. More than 20 women also went along on their 2,000-plus mile initial march in 1846-48, from Fort Leavenworth, Kan., to San Diego.

Verdoia said his strongest personal reaction to the battalion's story was realizing that its service came in desperate times, when church members had been driven out of a series of settlements. Many of them held the government responsible for their sufferings.