About 100 people were turned away on Memorial Day at the Cheyenne National Cemetery by the U.S. Veterans Administration, which had planned a memorial to commemorate those who paid the ultimate price for America.
Some families drove from hundreds of miles away to the five-acre cemetery in Cheyenne, where they were told an official service would begin at 11 a.m. Monday.
But as late morning came and went, no one showed up to lead a service. The honor guard did not show up, no prayers were read and no taps – the bugle song played at military funerals and memorial services – sounded over the cemetery.
According to Cowboy stands dailyVisitors were left surprised and disheartened by the absence of a service on a day dedicated to remembering the country’s fallen men and women.
The Cheyenne National Cemetery was officially dedicated in October 2020. A man looks over several headstones with flags planted next to them of veterans buried in the cemetery
The five-acre cemetery in Wyoming was visited Monday by about 100 people who expected a Memorial Day service to take place
Keith Jobes, a veteran with friends buried in the Cheyenne Cemetery, told the newspaper, “I’m quite surprised there isn’t a (memorial) service happening.”
“Earlier today I watched the wreath-laying ceremony on TV at Arlington (National Cemetery).”
Dozens and dozens of people showed up at the cemetery at 11 a.m. because that was the time listed on the VA website, despite officials saying no service was ever scheduled for that time.
William Washington, the cemetery’s manager, told CSD that he was put in a difficult position because he currently has no institutional support.
“This was all so last minute, really, just trying to get some support,” he said.
He said he ran into a friend last week, Justin Tripp, who commands VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Post 11453 in Cheyenne. Tripp said he would send some veterans from his post to the cemetery Monday at 3 p.m. to pray and hold a moment of silence.
But for some reason, the national organization’s website stated that the service would take place at 11 a.m., and was never updated to reflect the actual scheduled time.
Tripp said he was frustrated with the last-minute organization, which he said was because “we didn’t get permission to do anything until Friday.”
‘This frustrates me. I’m a veteran. This isn’t about picnics, it’s about people who died and never came home.”
The negative was the result of an error on the official VA website, which clearly stated that the service would take place Monday morning at 11 a.m.
After arriving promptly for the 11 a.m. service, families were left waiting for hours
Signage at Cheyenne National, created by a person who showed up Monday to remember the dead service members
American flags and bouquets were placed next to the graves of deceased service members at Cheyenne National Cemetery on Monday
The flag flew at half-mast on Monday in honor of the fallen
US President Joe Biden, US Vice President Kamala Harris and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin participate in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday
A man walks among the rolling hills of gravestones that mark the final resting place of service members at Arlington National Cemetery on May 27, 2024.
The Little Cheyenne Cemetery, like other relatively nearby cemeteries, is a satellite of the Fort Logan National Cemetery, which oversees a handful of smaller ones.
Reactions online to the VA’s organizational failures were swift and angry.
“THIS NEVER HAPPENED AND IS ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING!!,” wrote Don Johnsonally, sharing CSD’s article on his Facebook page.
Adam Stanfill, a resident of Laramie, Wyoming, wrote, “What an absolute shame and disgrace in Cheyenne this morning. Furious.’
A relative of his responded to his post: “Embarrassing and disrespectful to the veterans and their families.”
Despite the disappointment experienced by those who made the trek to Cheyenne on Monday, most chose to remember the veterans who were buried there anyway.
Many came with flags and flowers to plant on the ground next to their loved ones, or next to the graves of soldiers they did not know.
Richard Tygret, 58, stopped by the cemetery Monday to place an American flag next to the gravestone of a Navy officer he did not know who was buried at the cemetery last July.
He told CDS that he was driving back from a camping weekend on Monday when he felt compelled to stop by the cemetery.
Fort Logan National Cemetery – of which Cheyenne National and several other small cemeteries are satellites
Despite the Cheyenne service being advertised as an 11 a.m. program, local VA directors said it was never scheduled for that time and that the confusion occurred due to internal disorganization.
People walk among rolling hills lined with gravestones marking the final resting place of service members at Arlington National on Memorial Day
Lynda Drum, a local resident, was at the cemetery Monday to visit her father’s grave.
Harvey Frisbee served in the Marines during the Vietnam and Korean Wars.
She said that when she visits, she talks to him “about his new great-grandchildren” and asks “his advice on things.”
Carole Anne and Dale Hopkins drove about 300 miles from Riverton, Wyoming for the scheduled Monday service, but Carole said that even if they “had known this wouldn’t happen,” she “still would have done this today.”