Memorial Day services planned in area communities

WORLAND – Memorial Day will be observed all over the Big Horn Basin Monday with local veteran organizations conducting the ceremonies.

The Worland and Ten Sleep ceremonies will be hosted by the Worland American Legion Post 44. The Worland ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. in the Worland cemetery and the Ten Sleep ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in the Ten Sleep cemetery.

“The main speaker at both events will be Navy Chaplain, Commander David B. Magruder,” Worland American Legion trustee and memorial chairman Randy Reed said. “Commander Magruder was commissioned as a lieutenant junior grade in April 1995 and is a 1995 graduate of the United States Navy Chaplain’s School in Newport, Rhode Island. He has had many reserve assignments over the years. Commander Magruder currently serves as the Pacific Area chaplain (Reserve Component) United States Coast Guard in Alameda, Calif. In the civilian world Commander Magruder serves as senior pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Riverton,” he added.

The Worland American Legion Post 44 will be providing the rifle squad for both ceremonies. “There will be the ceremonial laying of wreaths and a firing squad three-shot volley to honor the dead,” Reed said. The bugler for the Worland ceremony will also be provided by the Worland American Legion Post 44 while Ten Sleep will be providing their own. “The Ten Sleep bugler will be Ella Boltz using the bugle of her late father John Boy Boltz,” Reed said.

5k Run

Prior to the Worland ceremony there will be a 5K run which will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Veterans Park in Worland and end at the Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery. The cost for entering the 5K run is $20. “The purpose of the 5K run is twofold: fundraising – any profits will be split between the Support the Troops project and the Veterans Park Fund and to increase participation at the Memorial Day ceremony,” Reed said.

After the Worland ceremony a lunch will be provided by the Worland VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Auxiliary Post 3093.

In the case of bad weather, the Worland ceremony will be moved to the Worland American Legion Post 44. If the weather is bad in Ten Sleep the ceremony will be moved to the Ten Sleep Methodist Church.

Thermopolis services

The Thermopolis VFW will begin the day by furnishing a breakfast. “We will be having a breakfast here (VFW) for veterans and their families from 8 – 10 a.m. furnished by the Auxiliary,” Thermopolis VFW trustee Jeff Strong said.

There will be three ceremonies that take place presented by the Thermopolis VFW. The first ceremony will be at 11 a.m. at the Monument Hill Cemetery. The second will be at 11:30 a.m. at the Riverside Cemetery. “We will have four honor guard there and our commander, Dan Dombeck will give a presentation. We will then raise and lower the flag and take it to halfmast,” Strong said.

A third special ceremony will be held at the bridge going into the state park in Thermopolis at noon. “We will be having a special presentation to honor the missing POWs (prisoners of war). We will be tossing a wreath in the river to honor those soldiers,” Strong said.

Basin services

The Basin American Legion Post 29 will be hosting three ceremonies for Memorial Day. The first ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. in Burlington at the cemetery. The Basin American Legion Post 29 is named after Marion Tanner. “The post name is Marion Tanner but he grew up on a farm in Burlington and is buried in Burlington. One of the Girls State delegates from Burlington will be doing a special piece telling about him and they are laying a wreath on his grave to recognize him,” Wyoming American Legion Auxiliary President Becky Allred said.

The second ceremony that the Basin American Legion Post 29 will be hosting will take place at 10 a.m. in the Otto cemetery.

The third ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. in the Basin cemetery. “There are two veteran plots in our (Basin) cemetery and we will meet at one of them. Around the flag pole we will lay 19 wreaths, one for every war, conflict or whatever. Then the legion will do the firing squad and the playing of ‘Taps,’” Allred said. “One of the wreaths was donated by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the rest represent other wars and conflicts with the last wreath representing the war on terror,” she added.

After the ceremony in Basin there will be a lunch in the park. “We will all go to the park behind the Basin library for a picnic. The picnic is open to all veterans, their family and friends. It’s a carry-in with the Legion furnishing the meat,” Allred said.