The plaque reads:
[American Legion Logo]
Erected in honor of
VETERANS OF LARAMIE COUNTY
by the American Legion Posts
of the American Legion
50th Anniversary
March 15, 1969
"Forgotten flame honoring vets re-lit after 25 years
On a frigid Veterans Day afternoon, a single, small flame warmed the hearts - if not the hands and faces - of several dozen veterans gathered at the Laramie County Historic Courthouse.
Along with Cheyenne and Laramie County officials, veterans from the local American Legion Post 6 commemorated Tuesday's holiday with the lighting of an eternal flame.
The occasion marks the revival of a monument to the county's military personnel that was first erected in 1969 but was forgotten for decades.
"I didn't even know this thing was here, and I've lived here my whole life," Laramie County Commissioner Diane Humphrey said.
It's unclear when exactly the monument's original flame was extinguished or why, but the commemorative torch has been cold for at least 25 years.
"For many years, it sat here pretty much neglected," Herbert Walker with Post 6 said. "The flame went out, and nobody knows when; it was overgrown with bushes."
The forgotten memorial was brought to the attention of the county commissioners by former Cheyenne City Councilman Pete Laybourn.
Commissioner Buck Holmes said, "Pete Laybourn told us it was there. And I went over and looked, and there it was in the bushes. So we all jointly decided to fix it."
Laybourn said, "It had bothered me for quite a while that this very important memorial was treated in the manner it was."
Chris Wegner, the county's maintenance manager, said it took about eight months to refurbish the memorial site, which is located near the east entrance to the courthouse.
"We spent about $10,000 overall to do the landscaping and the brickwork and the repair (of the memorial)," Wegner said.
Commissioner Troy Thompson said of the project, "There have been some people who have asked me why we are doing this. Why go through the expense of the flame and the landscaping?
"Quite frankly, I think Calvin Coolidge summed it up best when he said, 'A nation that forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten.' It's our duty to remember (the veterans) and the sacrifices they have made. This flame will burn brightly and be a constant reminder for us to keep that in mind."
Mayor Rick Kaysen, a veteran of the Vietnam War, was on hand for Tuesday's torch lighting ceremony.
"If I had to describe (the memorial) in one word, I'd have to call this 'awesome,'" Kaysen said. "This puts a daily tribute out there for the veterans of the past and, of course, for the veterans of the future."
Published on: Tuesday, Nov 11, 2014 - 10:52:18 pm MST - from (
visit link)