Wyoming V

Wyoming Vietnam memorial: Cody, WY.

Elton Gene Anderson

PFC Elton G. Anderson was lost to "hostile action...small arms fire..." at Quang Nam Province on November 4, 1968.

Pedro Rodriguez Montanez

PFC Pedro R. Montanez was lost in the Kontum Province.  He was considered MIA but his body was eventually recovered . He, too, was a victim of "hostile action... small arms fire." He was lost on November 19, 1967.

Joseph Benson Walker

SP4 Joseph B. Walker was lost on June 12, 1969, in Binh Duong Province. He is listed as a "Non-hostile...injury or disease..." loss. As is almost always the case, I could verify no other information. 

Again, as always, if you know anything about Joseph or any other listed here, I would love to hear about it and perhaps be able to update the information about any of the 58, 284 men and women who gave their all for our efforts in Vietnam. 

All of the men listed above were from Lovell, Wyoming. 

Next time, on July 17th, we will return to Alabama, so join me, as always, at 9 am.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia, Molly from Florida, Colleen (now three) from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served and/or were lost in 'Nam, and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left ed in Neillsville. The site was chosen because the and I will gladly share them here. 

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos and join the group.

Wyoming IV

Cheyenne has two memorials and this one is located on the grounds of the Cheyenne Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Nestled in among a few trees it honors the 137 from Wyoming lost in the war.

The medical center is located at 2360 East Pershing blvd.

Just this evening I read that a new miniature replica of The Wall has been constructed inside the medical center. It is 22 inches high by 45 feet long and features 58, 300 names, the number at the time of its construction. Since then, as any long time reader of this site knows, the number has risen to 58,318.

I have located a few more memorials in Wyoming, so I will get back there when I am able.

Next time, on the 21st, we will check back in with Alabama, so join me there at 9:00am, as usual.

To see additional memorials from Wyoming, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.

Wyoming III

This is just one of two memorials I found in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

This one lies behind the Cheyenne Municipal Building located at 2101 O'Neil between W. 20th and W. 22nd. Streets.

It sits in a courtyard area formed by the Municipal building and the Civic Center.

The memorial honors the 13 from Laramie County who were lost and 6 additional MIAs still missing as of the dedication.

As is the case, more often than you might think, the memorial was donated by a group of bikers. In this case the Vietnam Vets MC, Chapter E.

Next time, on the 19th we will revisit Alabama, so meet me there, as always, at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from Wyoming, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.

Wyoming II

This memorial originally honored 5 University alumni, that number grew to 17 when I was there. It was recently refurbished and rededicated. The front has been replaced with a new larger plaque that lists 132 names of those lost from Wyoming.

Top detail

A Veterans Service Center has been established, on campus, so that no returning vet today will have the same difficulties returning Vietnam vets encountered
  

 A nearby bench offers a respite from the day and invites quiet contemplation and remembrance.

Found on the southwest corner of the campus, at 9^th and Ivinson streets it is now the site of annual Welcome Home ceremonies.

Next time,on April 19, meet me in Florida at 9:00am.

To see other memorials from Wyoming, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.

Wyoming

I was surprised to find how much the Cody area has changed since I was here 20 years ago.  Then, the Memorial stood alone on the edge of the city with nothing but open plains and mountains behind it. Now, someone has chosen to build WW II and Korean Memorials on the same spot. Not to mention the huge hotel that now shares the access road. What once seemed like a fitting tribute, on the prairie, feels a bit claustrophobic! The new memorials are beautiful, but with all the millions of acres that seem untouched in this part of the country....!  Oh well.

Map this memorial.

Greetings

My name is Mike and I am a Vietnam vet (67-68). I have wanted to visit and photograph Vietnam Memorials in every state for more than 20 years and am finally getting it done.  I want to warn anyone who stumbles upon my musings that I am not a writer or, for that matter a professional photographer.  I am just a guy with a dream to see them all.  I have an odd affliction that manifests itself every time I sit at a keyboard. It seems I grow a few extra fingers, over which I have absolutely NO control. They stick in triple consonants, double vowels and a variety of other punctuation marks and anything they think I may not find. So, to all of you English teachers and photo pros out there, just try to enjoy, OK?

It seems to me that perhaps that fact that I am beginning this writing project today is meaningful somehow. It is October 12th, 2009 and I am driving from Missoula, Montana to Cody, Wyoming, a distance of some 325 plus miles. Many others have said it, but this is some of the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen.  The mountains are snow covered and there are remnants of recent snow everywhere.  The day is clear and crisp and the temp ranges between 15 and 30 degrees depending on how high you are at any given time. It has flurried a little and old snow is blowing across the road in some places. It is the kind of day that makes one happy to be paying attention!

The Montana Memorial is in Missoula and I have taken a number of pictures, but am not quite happy with the light. It depicts an angel lifting a fallen soldier. It is striking and one of my favorites, so, after I finish up with the one here in Cody, I will head back to Missoula and try different times of day to see if that helps.

My friend John, with whom I used to teach, recently moved to Missoula to work for VISTA for a year, so I have a base of operations with him. Thanks, John!

John and I drove to Idaho Falls on Saturday to visit the memorial there. It is really interesting.  It is a large inverted V, that is supposed to represent the controversy over the war. It has a bas relief plaque of a young woman wrapped in a flag, a soldier, and a POW. It is very unusual to have several views represented at a memorial.  When I was in Idaho Falls 20 years ago, there was a small plaza, next to the Idaho Falls, with several etched and painted scenes representing several wars. It is still there, but in my opinion, the new one is far, far superior.

When I leave the area on Friday, I will have three major state memorials. My original plan was to visit state memorials, but not every state has one.  All the states have memorials, but some are dedicated only to certain cities, counties or areas. For example, Pennsylvania has no "official" memorial, but there are a number throughout the state. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and others each honor their own. So, now I can widen my search and find other interesting ones to visit.

Today, as I drove past Bozeman, MT. I saw a sign saying Veterans Memorial so I figured I would check it out. In the cemetery just off the highway is a replica of the "Wall" in D.C. They have added a map of 'Nam and a bronze (?) sculpture of a pair of combat boots, sitting in front of their "Wall"  A great find!

Well, I think that is going to be it for tonight, I am beat!  More later except to say thanks to my son Sean who has done everything on this blog, except write this post. Without his computer skills, patience, and love, this would not be happening. Thanks Sean, I love you.

Mike