Veterans Memorial, Ft. Laramie Wyoming

This town park in the small Wyoming town of Ft. Laramie (just outside of the Ft. Laramie National Historic Site) serves as an all wars memorial for residents from the area.

The memorial includes the names of all of the people from Ft. Laramie who have served in the military, as well as those who are residents of the small town.

This bell is the bell from the old schoolhouse in Ft. Laramie, and was placed here as a memorial to it.

The memorial includes a World War Two era 81mm mortar.

Sweetwater County Wyoming World War Two Memorial

 

This is the Sweetwater  County memorial to Sweetwater County residents who served in World War Two. The name of everyone who served in the war is found on the memorial, with those who died listed in a separate part of the memorial stone.

The memorial is located in Rock Springs, which is not the country seat, that location being Green River, which is just a few miles away.

The artillery piece is a M1 57mm anti tank gun.

Thermopolis Historical Museum Veterans Memorial, Thermopolis Wyoming

This is the Veterans' Memorial outside of the Historical Museum in Thermopolis Wyoming.  The memorial features a M2 105mm howitzer.

Wyoming National Guard Headquaters Displays, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

F86D at Wyoming National Guard Headquarters, Cheyenne Wyoming

M7 105 Howitzer Carriage

These displays are at the Wyoming National Guard Headquarters in  Cheyenne, Wyoming. Both displays commemorate the Wyoming National Guard, Air and Army, during the 1950s.

Wyoming Army National Guard Museum

These photographs illustrate the location of the Wyoming Army National Guard Museum.  As I was taking this photo in an effort to illustrate the older, cavalry related, part of this structure, I failed to get a really good photo of the front of the museum.

The building was built in 1936, during a period of time during which cavalry was actually receiving increased attention in the American military.  The Wyoming National Guard (there was only an Army Guard at the time, as of course there was no Air Force at all, that being part of the Army) was cavalry at the time, being the 115th Cavalry Regiment.

Some may wonder about the "AL" below the AD on the corner stone.  The AL is the date used in Masonry for the creation of the earth, and many buildings of this type during this era were dedicated with the participation of Masons.

This shows the front of the building. This structure was used as a National Guard Armory from the 1930s until some time until the 1970s, but I suspect hte brick structure was a latter addition.   These small armories became very unsuitable for continued use by the 1960s, and were replaced in quite a few instances during the 1970s to contemplate the need for much larger armories.  Compounding this need was the fact that in some instances, such as in Casper and Cheyenne, the old armories were well within the city limits by the 1960s making their use for military purposes difficult.

M7 105 Gun Motor Carriage. The Wyoming Army National Guard's 300th Armored Field Artillery used these during the Korean War, during which they won a Presidential and a Congressional Unit Citation for an action in which they directly engaged attacking Communist forces.

 This is a M59 Armored Personnel Carrier, two of which are on display at this museum.  I'm not aware of any Wyoming Army National Guard unit using these, but some must have as the other items on display here were definitely used by the Wyoming Army National Guard.  Wyoming's units included the 115th Mechanized Cavalry, the descendant of the 115th Cavalry and the 115th Cavalry (Horse Mech), in the 1950s and perhaps onto the 1960s, at which point the cavalry was phased out and the 115th lineage was carried on by the 115th Artillery Regiment.  The former cavalry units became battalions of the 49th Field Artillery along with the 300th AFA.  Today, those units are smaller and are once again the 300th AFA.

This is a USS M777 155mm howitzer, which is a gun still used by the US military.

Highland Cemetary, Casper Wyoming

This Spanish American War era artillery piece is in a portion of Casper Wyoming's Highland Cemetery that has several features dedicated to war veterans. This dedication was placed in this location in the early 1950s at the latest, and the graves in the location are generally those of World War One, or Spanish American War, veterans. Benches were placed in this location in the early 1950s by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Daughters of the American Revolution, and the War Mothers organization.



For those with an interest in artillery, the model and size of this artillery piece, which is indicated as being 3.2 in, Model of 1897, is stamped here, although you'll have to enlarge the photographs in order to see the information.

Data regarding this artillery piece is stamped here, on the muzzle, but you will have to enlarge the photograph in order to be able to read it.

Updated on May 23, 2015.

Tombstone noting service in the 817 Dept Aero Squadron during  World War One.

Marker noting service in the 1st Colorado Infantry during The Spanish American War.

Marker noting service in the 157th Aero Squadron during World War One.

Marker of the old military pattern noting service in the 2nd U.S. Volunteer Cavalry during the Spanish American War.  The 2nd U.S. Vol Cav was raised in Wyoming.  It did not deploy everseas, in part because a severe train accident injured and killed a signficant number of its troopers en route to Florida.

Marker noting this veteran's service as a Horseshoer in the Field Artillery.

Marker noting this veteran's service as a Cook in the 24th Infantry during the Civil War.

Marker noting this trooper's service in the Army during the Spanish American War and World War One.

Marker noting this veteran's service in Co. F, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery during the Civil War.

Marker noting Civil War service.