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.

Painted Bricks: James Reeb Mural, Casper Wyoming

Painted Bricks: James Reeb Mural, Casper Wyoming: 

James Reeb Mural, Casper Wyoming

This is the memorial to civil rights activist James Reeb in Casper Wyoming.  I should have taken this photograph when this mural was new, as its faded considerably since first painted, and it isn't even very old.

Given that, I'm taking the unusual step of posting it in full size here as well.

James Reeb was a Presbyterian minister in Casper when first ordained.  He lost is life when murdered by segregationist in Selma, Alabama, where he was attending civil rights demonstrations, in 1965.  The mural depicts scenes from his life, as well as honoring the Civil Rights movement.

A Cottonwood Memorial.

Even though I've been in City Park in Casper lots of times, I managed to have never noticed this memorial to James Cobb Barlow.

James A. Barlow Jr. was a noted Wyoming geologist.  He was the son of the elder James Barlow who was a homesteader first in Colorado and then later in Wyoming, but who had relocated to the East Coast prior to marrying.  James A. Barlow came to Wyoming to study geology, and had one of the first two Ph.D's from the University of Wyoming's geology department.  While I hadn't realized it, he obviously served as Mayor of Casper, Wyoming in 1965-66.

The passing of Marine Corps Corporal Remigio "Ray" Barela.

Marines on Tarawa, November 1944.

In Casper, Wyoming this past week a crowed gathered to observe the passing of World War Two Marine Corps Corporal Ray Barela.

Not much was really known about him, other than that he lived to be 101 years old. 

Cpl. Barela had been born in Ft. Collins Colorado in 1918, a then much smaller and very agricultural town.  He therefore by default grew up in the Great Depression and was in his early 20s when World War Two broke out and he joined the Marines.

For unknown reasons, he simply dropped out of communication with his family, forever.  For some time they thought he may have been killed by the Japanese during the war.  At any rate, he returned to the region and after the war worked as a vegetable picker and sheepherder, the latter job being one that classically favored people who love isolation.  Those who knew him in later years said that he loved dogs and horses, but people not so much, something that also would have favored his occupation.

His first and last name are Latinate names, common among Italian and Hispanic families. Based upon the location of his birth and the names of his closet relatives, who until the funeral had thought that he had died decades ago, he was from an Hispanic family in Colorado.  The post war occupations he chose would have been common pre war ones for Hispanics in the region, although they became increasingly less so as every decade following the war moved on.  His omission of his family is odd and its connection with World War Two unmistakable.  His family, which he claimed to have outlived, apparently never forgot him, and when news of his funeral spread they came to pay their respects, joined back to his family in the end.

Lex Anteinternet: The 2020 Wyoming Legislative Session. Proposed Dr. Leonard L. Robinson memorial bridge.

Lex Anteinternet: The 2020 Wyoming Legislative Session. The early c...: There's a proposal to dedicate a bridge in Casper that crosses Center Street in honor of a veteran of the Bataan Death March.

2020

STATE OF WYOMING

20LSO-0464

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0096

Dr. Leonard L. Robinson memorial bridge.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Harshman, Blake, Brown, Lindholm, MacGuire and Walters and Senator(s) Anderson, Landen, Pappas and Von Flatern

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to highways and bridges; designating a bridge as specified; providing for signage; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.

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

Section 1.  W.S. 24‑1‑138 is created to read:

24‑1‑138.  Dr. Leonard L. Robinson World War II Bataan Death March memorial bridge.

The bridge on United States Interstate Highway 25 crossing over Center Street in Casper, Wyoming shall be known as the "Dr. Leonard L. Robinson World War II Bataan Death March Memorial Bridge."  The department of transportation shall install appropriate signage, in compliance with applicable federal and state law, to identify the Dr. Leonard L. Robinson World War II Bataan Death March Memorial Bridge.

Section 2.  Nothing in this act shall require the department of transportation to remove or modify any designation of the bridge specified in section 1 of this act submitted to the federal highway administration.

Section 3.  There is appropriated five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) from the general fund to the department of transportation for purposes of installing signage required by this act.  This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2022.  This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2022.  It is the intent of the legislature that this appropriation not be included in the department of transportation's standard budget for the immediately succeeding fiscal biennium.

Section 4.  This act is effective July 1, 2020.

(END)

1

HB0096

Lex Anteinternet: More bills becoming law. 2019 Wyoming Legislature. Medal of Honor Cities.

Lex Anteinternet: More bills becoming law. 2019 Wyoming Legislature....:

More bills becoming law. 2019 Wyoming Legislature.

Another selection of bills have been signed into law by Governor Gordon.

A formal bill signing has been requested for the following bills:
Bill No.	Enrolled Act #	Bill Title
SF0109	SEA No. 0061	Educational attainment executive council.
SF0115	SEA No. 0064	Order of protection-tolling during imprisonment.
SF0040	SEA No. 0065	Operation of motorboat while intoxicated.
HB0130	HEA No. 0095	Wyoming Cowboy and Cowgirl Legacy Week.
HB0204	HEA No. 0096	Common college transcript-implementation.
HB0297	HEA No. 0098	K-3 reading assessment and intervention program.
HB0082	HEA No. 0104	Veterans' skilled nursing facility.
HB0180	HEA No. 0106	Mixed martial arts regulation.
HB0212	HEA No. 0107	Alcoholic beverages-business flexibility.
HJ0010	HEJR No. 0003	Medal of Honor cities.
The governor will act upon these bills:
Bill No.	Enrolled Act #	Bill Title
SF0099	SEA No. 0057	Voting systems and ballots.
SF0067	SEA No. 0058	Hospital cost study.
SF0088	SEA No. 0059	Firemen's retirement fund plan b-contribution.
SF0107	SEA No. 0060	Pari-mutuel fee distribution-state fair account.
SF0120	SEA No. 0062	Student expulsion hearing requirements.
SF0142	SEA No. 0063	County regulation of livestock grazing.
SF0047	SEA No. 0066	Controlled substances education and administration.
SF0046	SEA No. 0068	Opioid prescription limits.
HB0143	HEA No. 0097	Presentence investigation reports-judicial discretion.
HB0020	HEA No. 0099	Program evaluation standards.
HB0062	HEA No. 0100	Wyoming Utility Token Act-property amendments.
HB0029	HEA No. 0101	Unclaimed life insurance benefits.
HB0113	HEA No. 0102	Special electric utility agreements.
HB0125	HEA No. 0103	District court filing fees.
HB0243	HEA No. 0108	Driver's licenses.

A really interesting one in this set is the one that designates certain towns and cities as Medal of Honor cities.  It's set out below:

ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED

JOINT RESOLUTION. HJ0010

ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 3, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING

2019 GENERAL SESSION

A JOINT RESOLUTION to designate cities and communities in the state of Wyoming as Medal of Honor cities or communities to honor the Medal of Honor recipients connected with the cities or communities.

WHEREAS, the Medal of Honor is our nation's highest award for valor presented to veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States for acting with conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty at the risk of one's life during combat with an enemy of the United States; and

WHEREAS, the Medal of Honor medal is widely respected by the military and public alike; and

WHEREAS, Wyoming has been home to seventeen (17) Medal of Honor recipients from the United States Army, Unites States Navy and United States Marine Corps who served in five (5) wars, from the Civil War to the Vietnam War, over a period of one hundred seven (107) years; and

WHEREAS, seventeen (17) recipients who earned Medals of Honor, were born in, or laid to rest in six (6) cities and three (3) unincorporated areas in the state of Wyoming; and

WHEREAS, Wyoming's Medal of Honor recipients are not presently honored by Medal of Honor markers in their cities or other communities with which they were associated; and

WHEREAS, "Medal of Honor City or Community" markers in public places across Wyoming will preserve the legacy of service and sacrifices of Wyoming's recipients; and

WHEREAS, Wyoming deeply appreciates the service and sacrifice of its Medal of Honor recipients and the positive roles they have played in their communities for more than one hundred (100) years.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING:

Section 1.  The Wyoming legislature hereby designates Casper, Greybull, Cheyenne, Laramie, Powder River, Rock Springs and three (3) unincorporated areas, Platte River, Elkhorn Creek and Bluff Station as "Medal of Honor" cities and communities and encourages the creation of Medal of Honor markers in public places in the designated cities and communities.

Section 2.  That the Secretary of State of Wyoming transmit copies of this resolution to the governing body of each Medal of Honor city or community, the Governor of the State of Wyoming, the Wyoming Veteran's Commission, the Wyoming Association of Municipalities, the Wyoming County Commissioners Association and state organizations of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

(END)

Speaker of the House			President of the Senate

	Governor
	TIME APPROVED: _________
	DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.

Chief Clerk

It's a neat idea, but it contains an error.  Little Powder River isn't an incorporated municipality.  It used to be, but ceased to be quite some time ago.

I'm amazed that there's seventeen Wyomingites associated with the Medal of Honor, but then this notes that it does go back to the Civil War.  At one time the Medal of Honor was the only medal issued by the United States military, and even civilians were eligible early on in some military circumstances.  Peace time awards were in fact common early on, and were particular common in the Navy, where more than one sailor lost his life trying to save drowning individuals.

Well, it's a neat idea.

Ira W. Brannan Memorial Pool, Casper Wyoming.

Not every memorial featured here is attractive. That's not the point of the blog.  Here's one such example.  The Ira W. Brannan Memorial Pool.

Most residents of Casper Wyoming just refer to this as the Washington Park swimming pool.  It's an outdoor pool, not visible in this photograph, that has long served Casper.  Indeed it is no doubt the oldest outdoor swimming pool in the city but is still in use as it gets heavy use.

So who was he? 

I have no idea and wasn't able to learn who he was.

He was likely a veteran of World War One, given the age of this pool. Washington Park used to feature a variety of caissons right next to the pool that were probably associated with the dedication, but which have since been moved to Ft. Caspar.  Mr. Brannan's name remains on the pool, but as to  he was, well at least to me that's a bit of a mystery.

Wyoming Veterans Museum: World War One Display

Display dedicated to George Ostron, who was an accomplished armature illustrator and who won a contest to design what became the unit insignia.  A post on this topic is coming up on Lex Anteinternet.

I have a very lengthy photo post on the Wyoming Veterans Museum on this site already.  Normally, when adding to an existing topic, I do just that, but in this case I'm posting a new thread as, like most museums, the Wyoming Veterans Museum updates its displays and it would neither do justice to their new display nor to the prior thread to add to it.  Their new display concerns World War One and is focused on Wyomingites who served in the Great War.  They've done a very nice job with it and its a real credit to the museum.

 

 

 

 Ostrom illstration of a New Mexican town.  He had served with the National Guard in the Punitive Expedition.

 

 

 Very nice example of National Guard collar insignia from this period in the upper left, and a subdued chevron on the right.  Subdued chevrons would be a feature of the uniform all the way into the early Vietnam War but rank structure for enlisted men constantly changed.  This insignia hearkens back to the 19th Century with its bugler specialty device and would pass into history before World War Two.

Early in World War One the push for recruitment was with the Navy over the Army and in the opening weeks of the war it was assumed that the Navy would be taking the primary role in the fight with the Army doing relatively little.  Many Wyomingites, in the first rush towards the flag, joined the Navy accordingly.

Fred Kislter's name is associated with Kistler Tent & Awning, an early Casper business that's still in operation today.

French carbine and Adrien helmet, as used by some US African American soldiers assigned to French command.

Trench knives.

Telephone switchboard.  World War One came at the beginning of a revolution in communications that would soon change that area completely.

A display dedicated to nurses in the Great War.

While its very much contrary to what is commonly believed, women played a role in World War One's home front work place that was as great as that which they'd later play in World War Two.  It's just largely forgotten.

German equipment, including a machine gun, brought back to the US as souveniers.

The legendarily bad Chauchat automatic rifle that was used by the US, as supplied by the French, for a light machine gun during World War One.

Somewhat bizarre veterans' organization outfit.

The Red Cross played a very large role in World War One support.