Remembering our Veterans

I have always had great respect for our Veterans. I grew up with so many in our family just like so many other families across this great nation.

To me, this is about honoring all our Veterans from all races, ages, and “Branches of the military.”

My father was Navy, he was a Boiler Maker on the ship he sailed on for, “Operation Magic Carpet Fleet”, that few in the younger generations know about. It was an amazing accomplishment to bring our troops home before Christmas.

My brother was A.F. during Vietnam engaged in P.O.W., M.I.A., missions in Vietnam as search and rescue. A branch he went into after our cousin, a Marine was reported M.I.A. Twenty Two Veterans (mostly combat veterans commit suicide a day).

I will forever hold my brother Steve in my heart and do my best to honor him and the things he supported, like the P.O.W., M.I.A. And I will always wish he stayed, and that these combat Veterans find their way to the organizations, that are out there to help them, as one Veterans suicide is one to many.

When you see these big Veterans Cemetery’s like I have and row after row of white headstones as far as you can see on such sacred ground, it is very humbling and you realize the commitment so many men and women made to our country.

When you walk amongst them and read the headstones they become a person not just a headstone. And you’re compelled to lay a hand on their headstone and say a pray of thanks for they’re service, they’re sacrifices.

I have been to Arlington National Cemetery when I was younger and it is very overwhelming at it’s size. Never ending headstones. All wars, and all branches, all races, all ages are laid to rest in these cemeteries across our nation.

I was so respectfully grateful to hear around a year ago, that Wyoming had land ready to build a National Cemetery on. Now it is complete and families from the state of Wyoming can have the honor of the difficult task of laying to rest their loved one on ground set aside for solely for the purpose, to honor Veterans.

Before moving here I always attended Veterans Day at Ft. Logan where my husband is buried. Wyoming didn’t have a Veteran’s Cemetery when he died. My husband, Roger L. Bond, was born and raised in Cheyenne. He served two tours in Vietnam.

They would put up huge flags to line all Ft. Logan streets and flags on every grave. Those flags seem to always have a gentle breeze that causes them to wave. I am so hoping through Veteran’s Affairs I can have my husband moved to Cheyenne to our state National Cemetery now. He died young due to his tour.

Veterans Day is not just for the Veterans that have gone on. It is for all Veterans of our military and I always think of those men and women who are in service now, as so many others do. May God Bless America and her Troops.

Shar Bond-Anderson

Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it. -author unknown