Memorial Day observances on Monday in Cheyenne

Two ceremonies on Monday will help local residents observe Memorial Day.Members of St. Mark's Episcopal Church will read the names of coalition forces killed in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The reading starts at 7:30 a.m. Monday and will end around 5:15 p.m. at the church, 1908 Central Ave.

The reading will honor more than 6,400 men and women who have died in the two conflicts.
Listings of the war dead will be hung on the interior walls of the church.

"We do it as a way to honor the fallen," said John Peacock of St. Mark's. People can drop by the church to listen.

The annual Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. Monday at Beth El Cemetery on Pershing Boulevard.

The wreath-laying ceremony is open to the public. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1881 and American Legion Post 6 sponsor the event.

Monday's ceremony marks the 54th year for the joint event, said Phil Harris of VFW Post 1881.

"We just feel that it is a way we can honor our friends and neighbors in Cheyenne who have died during war and peace time and are buried in the cemetery," Harris said.

The ceremony is a way of "taking a few minutes of the day to pay tribute to the men and women who are no longer with us," he said.

The ceremony also honors those who are willing to stand ready today, he added.

"This is the moment that we take to remind ourselves as veterans and the public that there was a sacrifice for these freedoms we enjoy," he said.

Representatives from area organizations -- like veterans and community service groups -- will place wreaths at a memorial at the cemetery.

Lt. James Washington will be the guest speaker. He is the commanding officer of the Navy Operational Support Center in Cheyenne.

U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., also will speak.

The National Guard Museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, as well. The museum is located next to Beth El Cemetery on Pershing Boulevard.

(Becky Orr  borr@wyomingnews.com)