Soldier Spotlights: Ex-servicemen honored at annual Timpview Veterans Day tribute
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- Timpview students Stefany Suero, right, and Magdalena Leyton Lara place a pin on Maj. Taylor Knight during the Veterans Tribute Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, at Timpview High School in Provo.
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- Student Quincey Perry displays a photo of her great-grandfather, 1st Lt. Edward J. Perry, during the Veterans Tribute Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, at Timpview High School in Provo.
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- Lt. Col. Mike Hassiter, middle, is honored during the Veterans Tribute Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, at Timpview High School in Provo.
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- A Coast Guard veteran stands during the Veterans Tribute Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, at Timpview High School in Provo.
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- The Marine flag is presented during the Veterans Tribute Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, at Timpview High School in Provo.
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- An Edgemont Elementary choir sings at the Veterans Tribute Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, at Timpview High School in Provo.
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- The Timpview band and choir perform during the Veterans Tribute Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, at Timpview High School in Provo.
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- Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi speaks at the Veterans Tribute Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, at Timpview High School in Provo.
Just months after 9/11, Maj. Taylor Knight enlisted in the Utah Army National Guard at 17, embarking on a 20-year military career that sent him around the world.
Knight was honored in front of the Timpview High School student body Tuesday by students Magdalena Leyton Lara and Stefany Suero, who described the military journey of an “outstanding soldier, leader and mentor.”
Lara said Knight faced experiences that were difficult and even terrifying — but deeply rewarding — as he grew from a logistics specialist to a platoon leader officer, working alongside allies and training soldiers from other nations in Afghanistan, Poland and Saudi Arabia.
Following his service, he encountered challenges adjusting to normal life but found a new way to serve, as a school resource officer at Timpview High School.
“Every morning when Officer Knight puts on his uniform and walks through our halls, we are reminded that freedom, safety and home all begin with people like him,” Suero said.
Knight was one of many former military members celebrated at Timpview’s annual Veterans Tribute on Veterans Day, a grand ceremony that involved over 300 student participants, including a large choir and orchestra that performed patriotic anthems, the ballroom dance team and an Edgemont Elementary choir.
The event went a little differently than in years past, according to student event chair Ryan Clarke, who said that instead of having the veterans speak, they opted for the students to do the honors, spotlighting different veterans that had a connection to either the student or the school.
“To (honor) someone close to them, who you see in the halls everyday, I think probably spoke to the students more than anything,” Clarke said.
Along with Knight, honorees included Master Sgt. Beau Kaimanu Sabagala, better known by the students as “Coach Beau” or “Uncle Beau,” according to presenter Amaya Tolman.
Before he was Timpview’s wrestling coach and assistant football coach, Sabagala was a member of the United States Air Force. He experienced one of the most difficult times in his life during his first four years of service, Tolman said, when he lost both of his parents, but was able to turn to mentors and leaders who “took him in as one of their own.”
Through his 24-year military career, Sabagala met his wife, started a family and held a number of positions, including with the Counternarcotics Department and Joint Force War Planning Office.
“He embodied the Air Force core values: integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do,” Tolman said. “Beyond his service record, Coach Beau is a reminder that the strength of our military lies not just in its technology and firepower, but within the character of people that dedicated their lives to serve our country.”
Veterans from earlier generations were also honored.
Lt. Col. Mike Hassiter, who fought in the Vietnam War and served Medical Service Corps Officer in the Army for 20 years, was spotlighted by Brynlee Astle.
She detailed his experiences caring for the sick and wounded in Vietnam, and his return trip to the country with a film crew to speak with former North Vietnamese Soldiers he fought against.
“The opportunity to visit them was emotional and healing. He left Vietnam feeling joy and gratitude, seeing that the people who were once his enemies were now at peace,” Astle said.
Quincey Perry presented the story of her great-grandfather, the late 1st Lt. Edward J. Perry, who was a Japanese prisoner of war during World War II and survived the Bataan Death March.
“Edward loved his country and had a strong belief in the call to duty to defend the freedom we enjoy,” Astle said. “He believed in hard work and was a dedicated family man who taught his family the scout values.”
Clarke said putting on the event required several hours of prep — finding veterans to honor, coordinating with America’s Freedom Festival to create the program and setting up decorations.
She hopes her fellow student left the tribute with a greater love for their country.
“Whether or not they know someone who was served their county, I hope they walk away with that appreciation for people who sacrifice their lives and just know a little bit more,” she said.
