American Veterans Traveling Tribute comes to Cheyenne

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jason Wiese
  • 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs
F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  Banksy, England-based graffiti artist of worldwide renown, said, "You die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time."

If this is the case, then the servicemembers who paid the ultimate price in the Vietnam War live on.

The American Veterans Traveling Tribute came to Cheyenne June 19 and was open night and day through June 23 for people to visit and remember the lives lost during the war, and volunteers took time to read the names of every one of the approximately 58,000 who died in Vietnam.

In addition to a replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., the AVTT included memorials to those who lost their lives in the War on Terror and other conflicts in which the U.S. has been involved.

Retired Chief Master Sgt. Terry Cook, one of the members of the Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee, the organization who coordinated the tribute's visit, said "This not only pays respect to the folks who died in Vietnam. It pays respect to all those who serve."

Retired Chaplain (Capt.) Lew Waldon, visited the Memorial during its time in Cheyenne.

"I've got five family members and my scout master from 1976 who died in Vietnam," he said. "It's an honor to be out here with them.

People came to the tribute during all times of the day and night. Many came late at night because they want to be alone as they remember fallen loved ones, Cook said.

"This is a healing ground for a lot of folks," Waldon explained. "Thankfully a lot of folks take advantage of that."