Honoring the war dead: General Walrath gets personal

WORLAND - Brigadier General Justin Walrath, Chief of Staff of the Wyoming Air National Guard, personalized Memorial Day to those gathered for services in Worland and in Ten Sleep on Monday.

Speaking Monday morning to those gathered at the Riverview Memorial Gardens, Walrath opened his remarks stating, "It's great to be back in the Big Horn Basin. These small towns of the Basin remind me so much of my youth. The people here, teachers, coaches, pastors, my parents set my moral compass. Hard work and integrity never seemed to go out of style around here.

"All of you here represent the great citizens of this area. You're not boating, fishing, golfing or even working today in your yard. You are here. I wish everyone would honor this day but I'm glad we live in a country that allows us the freedom to pursue our priorities.

"I'm truly honored that you are here today to remember."

Walrath said the definition of Memorial Day is to honor those in military service who died while in performance of their duties.

He said the meaning, however, goes much deeper than that and quoted President Ronald Reagan, "There is a special sadness that accompanies the death of a serviceman, for we are never quite good enough to them, we can't be because what they gave to us is beyond our power to repay."

He said for the past 19 years his family have attended services in Colorado.

"It is my hope that my children see and hear how great this country is and the incredible sacrifice that has gone into making it. Perhaps the only mistake these war dead made is that they made this country so prosperous that many take it for granted.

"This is not a perfect country, but believe me when I say this, this is the greatest country in the world. I've been to almost every region of the world and our ability to right wrongs and fix what we need to fix is unmatched."

Walrath is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and served 10 years on active duty before joining the Air National Guard. He has served nine combat deployments.

HONORING FOUR

He spoke about four people with whom he said he has a connection to but whom he has never met.

The first person, he noted died during Walrath's first year of life - SSG William T. McCormick of Thermopolis. He said he would pass his house on the way to school every day and every day there would be a flag flying for William's memory.

William, 22, was killed in action on March 12, 1970, in Vietnam.

He took the audience to Bagram Air Base in 2004, which he said was usually a hub of noise and activity. However, "all too often" they would be told of a base quiet time. He said the one hour of inactivity would always be at night and during that time a body of a U.S. soldier would begin the first leg of a journey to waiting loved ones at home. Hundreds would line the streets.

"I tried to never miss one of these solemn events. I was humbled, honored and saddened to carry three of these outstanding Americans on my aircraft," Walrath said.

"I was honored to carry the remains of Specialist Alan Burgess, 24, out of Iraq," he said. Burgess was killed Oct. 15, 2004, leaving behind a wife and 4-year-old son.

Corporal Joseph Behnke, 45, died Dec. 4, 2004, in Baghdad, Iraq. "We carried him out of country a few days after his death."

Walrath said Behnke tried to join the Army at the age of 13 so that he could go fight in Vietnam. When he came of age he served from 1976 to 1980. However, after the events of 9/11 he re-enlisted at 43 years of age to continue to serve his country.

On Sept. 11, 2001, he rode his bicycle into Manhattan to help others as others were running out.

Chief Warrant Officer Andrew McAdams, 27, of Cheyenne, died on Jan. 10, 2014, in Afghanistan.

Walrath said McAdams' body was flown into Dover Air Force Base in Maryland on the second leg of the journey home. He said the adjutant general of Wyoming at that time insisted that a Wyoming C-130, instead of a commercial plane, bring him home.

"So myself and my crew went and picked him up," he said, adding that he will never forget the family and friends waiting at the airport for McAdams.

"Thank you for mourning, William, Joseph, Alan and Andrew today. They sacrificed to keep away the darkness of this world. Our mourning and remembrance today means a great deal to those who have sacrificed for this country and their families and I humbly thank you for being here today."

Sen. Cynthia Lummis also spoke at the services in Worland and Ten Sleep.

She said Americans come together on Memorial Day to observe one simple truth, "while our freedoms come from God, every generation must defend them from tyrants on the field of battle. Our freedoms proclaimed in our declaration and enshrined in our Constitution have been bought at a price that few of us can truly appreciate."

Lummis spoke of Wyoming citizens and their willingness to serve from as far back as the Spanish-American War. She said 7% of the state population served in World War I including her grandfather; 10% served in World War II including her father and over 1,000 died fighting for freedom.

During the Vietnam War 2,600 served with 135 killed in action.

"We have seen in our life time great sacrifice by people in Wyoming.

"There are many people in this county and this state who served and died who never got to know or have families and see the people that they loved grow and live their lives to the betterment of this country. But they died in betterment of this country to defend our way of life, our freedoms and our rights.

"We honor them today. We are grateful for their service and to be here together to celebrate the great American dream that they allowed us to have and to keep is truly an honor."

Washakie County Commissioner Chairman Fred Frandson welcomed those in attendance at Worland's services.

He quoted from President Harry S. Truman about the sacrifices honored during Memorial Day, "Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices."

Frandson added, "Thank you to the great men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice, we shall never forget."

Services also include the reading by Cub Scouts David Ahlstrom and Braden Harden and Washakie County 4-H member Ava Tapia of "In Flanders Fields," a poem by Andrew Macphail and John McCrae written during World War I and America's Answer to "In Flanders Fields" written by R.W. Lilliard.