By Miley Clawson

The helicopter crew chief knelt on top of the helicopter cabin, painstakingly safety wiring a “Jesus” nut to the top, a vital nut that secures the rotors to the helicopter. Without it, they said, Jesus is all you have. He didn’t realize that his efforts to prevent a future disaster would be devastatingly interrupted, changing his life forever. 

An incoming rocket exploded underneath the helicopter, blowing him into the air and into the flight lines. Without time to recover, he was run over by a jeep coming from the officer’s club. He didn’t know what had happened, nor did he realize that he was loaded into a truck, and even pronounced dead. What saved him was the smallest groan that escaped his lips, causing his rescuers to rush him to the hospital.

After regaining consciousness three days later, Russel “Bull” Keisel spent the next 18 months recovering in a hospital with many other soldiers who served their country during the Vietnam War. 

Keisel’s experience in the service and relationships with other men led him years later to begin the process to create a Veterans Memorial in Mt. Pleasant. 

“That was something that I always wanted to do,” Keisel said. “I wanted to recognize them, and I wanted to recognize all them young soldiers that, to me, were heroes.”

The memorial will feature statues representing five military divisions – the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Utah National Guard – and a statue featuring a nurse in front of them all. 

“But the nurses were the ones that, you know, were there for us in Vietnam for the most part,” Keisel said, “and so I always wanted to do a memorial, and I wanted to put a nurse up front.”

The face of the nurse statue will be Olive Brotherson, a World War II field nurse and the  aunt of Terry Brotherson, a local business owner. Family members can pay to have their loved one’s likeness etched onto the face of a statue, with each statue costing $30,000.

A wall bearing the names of veterans from all over North Sanpete will stretch six feet tall and 40 feet long. Any veteran that has lived in the North Sanpete area for five years and received an honorable discharge is eligible to be on the wall. Over 3,000 names have been collected so far. 

The memorial will also display the five divisional flags, along with the American flag and the Utah state flag behind that. Members of the community can pay $100 to have bricks inscribed with the names of veterans and placed along the memorial. The memorial will also display an arch, six benches, trees, and lights that illuminate the flags and wall. 

The project, which has been in the works for the past two years, is scheduled to finish by July 4. A dedication ceremony will be held that day at 4 p.m. where Governor Spencer Cox has agreed to speak.

Keisel acts as the chairman of the committee and oversees the memorial along with fellow members Maria Ricks, Lynn Brotherson, Mary Huddlestone, Monte Bona, Jim Bean, Bob Bingham, Richard Scutt and Debbie James. They have also received support from the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. The committee has currently raised around $300,000, but the cost, including in kind donations, is closer to $750,000. 

Fundraising efforts have included the distribution of 25 donation boxes to businesses around the community, hosting a 4th of July breakfast, a silent auction at the Contoy Arena, and a tent at Scandinavian days. Another fundraiser, a cornhole tournament, will be held on May 9 at the Contoy Arena. 

Gary Arnoldson, who served in the U.S. Army, National Guard and Air Force, also had inspiration to start a memorial, and worked alongside Keisel during the project. He felt the importance of building a memorial in the community to remember those who have served. 

“So we would remember and remember those that have gave their lives for their country,” Leslie Arnoldson, wife of Gary Arnoldson said. “I think a lot of times, people forget, and we get going on our way, and we just forget.”

Gary Arnoldson passed away on July 22, 2025 unable to attend the groundbreaking event that took place on Oct. 4, 2025. 

“Even though President Arnoldson wasn't there, it was cool to still see his family show up to the groundbreaking,” said Tori Shirley, Mount Pleasant royalty queen. “They still had a shovel for him that [Leslie] got to go use and so that was cool. It made my heart a little happy. A little sad too.”

The culmination of individual and community efforts all comes down to the desire to honor those who gave their all for their country. 

“We don't realize just how blessed we are to be able to say that we're free,” Shirley said, “and this is literally in your face, like these are the people that died. That are not on earth anymore so that you don't have to fight, so that you can choose to do whatever you want. They didn't intend it for you to be a crappy human being. I hope it really inspires people to try and give back, try and do better.”

Individuals wishing to contribute can visit the Mount Pleasant City Hall, and donate to the North Sanpete Veterans Memorial.