The lonely B-24

After putting up the post yesterday on the B-17 "Casper Kid", I realized I hadn't posted these photos of the marker for the B-24 that went down in Natrona County in 1945.  I took the photos a year ago.

I've been aware of this wreck my entire life, although apparently the location was regarded as lost.  Only recently has this memorial been put up.

As with the Casper Kid, it's good to see the plane and its crew remembered.  Men who gave their lives for their country, but not in the way the expected.  In this case, they went down in the dead of winter and the conditions were so severe that there was little that could be done to attempt to rescue them. All perished.

 

The Crew of the B-17F, "The Casper Kid".

 

This is a new memorial in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, dedicated to the crew of the "Casper Kid", a B-17F that went down in what would have been an incredibly remote lonely spot on February 25, 1943.

In recent years, there's been a dedicated effort in Central Wyoming to memorialize the crews who did in aviation accidents during the Second World War. This is the second such memorial I'm aware of (there may be more) which is dedicated to the crew of an airplane that was flying out of the Casper Air Base, which is now the Natrona County International Airport. Both accidents memorialized so far were winter accidents which resulted in the loss of an aircraft in remote country.

We don't tend to think of those lost in training accidents as war dead, but they were.  And there are a lot of them.

Lex Anteinternet: The 2021 Wyoming Legislative Session, Part II

Lex Anteinternet: The 2021 Wyoming Legislative Session, Part II: 

The 2021 Wyoming Legislative Session, Part II

February 10, 2021

Governor Gordon signed the first crop of 2021 bills yesterday, so this is a good place to start a new thread.

Governor Mark Gordon Signs 20 Bills on Tuesday February 9

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon signed 20 bills into law on Tuesday, February 9. He has now taken action on all legislation passed by the Wyoming Legislature during the eight-day virtual session. 

The Governor signed the following bills into law today:

 

Bill No.	Enrolled Act #	Bill Title
HB0008	HEA0006	Consumer credit amendments
HB0018	HEA0007	Military training memorials
HB0025	HEA0008	Tribal vehicle registration exemption implementation
HB0035	HEA0009	Theft statute-amendment
HB0045	HEA0010	Changes to water right - notice requirements for hearing
HB0030	HEA0013	Public utility assessment
HB0009	HEA0015	Short time compensation program
HB0027	HEA0016	Business code revisions
HB0013	HEA0017	Alcoholic beverage regulation
HB0015	HEA0018	Department of transportation communication facilities
HJ0001	HEJR0001	Traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress treatments
SF0057	SEA0005	School finance-dates for fund transfers
SF0014	SEA0007	Credit for reinsurance
SF0032	SEA0008	Water permit notice requirements
SF0060	SEA0009	Monthly ad valorem tax revisions-2
SF0029	SEA0010	Revised uniform law on notarial acts
SF0054	SEA0011	Statewide health information exchange-codification
SF0026	SEA0012	Animal abuse statutes reorganization and update
SF0018	SEA0013	Universal occupational licensure
SF0053	SEA0014	Ground ambulance service provider assessment act

What of those bills?

Well, a lot probably don't draw that much attention, but some will.  The one that will draw the most notice is the change in liquor laws, which is the third major overhaul in as many years.  Home delivery by full license holders will now be allowed.

The Military Training Memorials bill is interesting in that it allows for memorials to military members who died in training accidents.  It's text provides:

ORIGINAL HOUSE 

BILL NO. HB0018

 

ENROLLED ACT NO. 7,  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 

SIXTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING

2021 GENERAL SESSION

 

 

 

 

AN ACT relating to honoring military members; authorizing the creation of memorials to military members who died in training accidents in Wyoming; authorizing expenditure of nonstate funds; and providing for an effective date.

 

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

 

Section 1.  The department of state parks and cultural resources in cooperation with the Wyoming military department and appropriate nongovernmental organizations, may design and create memorials to honor United States military personnel who died in military training accidents in Wyoming during United States involvement in overseas wars and conflicts. The department shall consult with the Wyoming department of transportation to identify the placement of the memorials in appropriate locations accessible to the public along public roads, highways or parking areas to honor the known crash sites located at Shirley Basin, Edgerton and Bomber Peak. The adjutant general of the Wyoming national guard shall approve the design of each memorial prior to the creation of the memorial. The department may accept donations of private funds or funds from other nonstate entities for the design and placement of memorials under this section and shall not use state funds for purposes of this section.

 

Section 2.  This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.

 

(END)

This is an interesting bill and I think a good idea.  Those who died in training in the service, died in the service of their country.

In contrast, SF00018, which allows for temporary licensure for military spouses in licensed professions, is a bad idea.

Accommodating the spouses of service members makes sense, but Wyoming has been working on eroding the protection to the citizenry that holding a license means already.  This is one more step to licenses meaning absolutely nothing.  There's no reason to believe that because a professional is married to a service member, they're automatically competent in their profession.

Related Threads:  

The 2021 Wyoming Legislature, Part 1