CC Veterans Club hosts ‘Remembering Our Fallen’
“Remembering Our Fallen, Tribute Towers of America’s Fallen from the Global War on Terrorism” will be at Casper College May 3-5. Hosted by the Casper College Veteran Services, the memorial will be displayed in the “Swede” Erickson Thunderbird Gymnasium on the Casper College campus.
The memorial is free and open for viewing May 3 and 4 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 5 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The memorial display includes 34 tribute towers with military and personal photos of almost 5,391 of our nation’s military fallen from Sept. 11, 2001, to Aug. 30, 2021. In addition, “Remembering Our Fallen” also includes tribute towers that recognize the servicemen and women who died from training accidents or attacks while stationed stateside or on overseas bases. Those who return from war with the invisible wounds of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and succumb to suicide are also included to recognize the tragedy of PTSD.
The memorial opening ceremony will be held on Friday, May 3, beginning at noon in the Thunderbird Gym, featuring keynote speaker retired Army Maj. Gen. Richard Kaiser. According to Philip Young, veteran and military student services coordinator, Kaiser was his commander when he was in the Army, and they both deployed to Iraq in 2011. “At the time, he was a Colonel and the Commander of the 20th Engineer Brigade, so he wasn’t someone that typically interacted with privates and someone that privates didn’t typically interact with either,” Young said. “However, General Kaiser was a bit different. If you passed him, he always had time to check on you and remembered who you were the next time you spoke to him. He was a leader who understood that lower enlisted troops were what made the Army the fighting force it is, and he always made his respect for the lower troops well known,” recalled Young.
Young noted the Remember Our Fallen memorial was chosen because “it holds a special connection to many of the veterans at CC, including myself, who fought in the Global War On Terrorism and lost friends. (This country has) been at war for 20-plus years, and the memorial is a tribute to the most battle-hardened generations of soldiers to serve this country ever.”
“We can never forget those who sacrificed everything for our freedom. We must remember these American heroes and speak their names when we see their family members,” said Bill Williams, vice president and co-founder of Patriotic Productions, the nonprofit responsible for the memorial. We are thankful to the Casper College Veteran Services for hosting this beautiful and somber memorial.”