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This weekend, we get to celebrate 245 years of freedom in the
greatest nation on earth. I’ll be celebrating in Cody, Wyoming at the Cody Stampede parade, and I’m so excited to see some of you there.
Before we jump into the festivities and fireworks, it’s important to remember the reason we get to celebrate.
Tucked away
between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. stands the Korean War Memorial. During the day, you can see 19
larger-than-life, ghostly figures of Korean War era U.S. soldiers with the inscription “Freedom is not free.” At night, the monument is
lit up, making the soldiers nearly lifelike. You can almost hear the static of the radios they’re carrying. It’s eerie, but it’s an
important reminder of all our armed forces have sacrificed for this great nation. The freedom that we cherish in this country
was not free; it came at a steep, and often terrible price. It came from people like DeMaret Kirtley, known as Marston, a rancher from Kaycee. He died
in the Korean War in 1950. He was finally laid to rest in Wyoming in 2019. He was one of the 70 Wyoming citizens to give their lives in the Korean
War. In World War II, Wyoming sent more than 10 percent of its population to war. Of those, 1,095 gave their lives for their
nation. More than 2,600 Wyoming men served in Vietnam, and 135 of them lost their lives.
I’m
immensely proud of the Wyoming men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Heartbreakingly, one of the first casualties in our campaign to
root out terror in the Middle East was a young soldier, a Cheyenne native, SPC Jonn J. Edmunds. He was killed in a helicopter crash in Pakistan on
October 19, 2001. His life, and the lives of every single man and woman who died defending their country, will never be forgotten.
They paid the ultimate price for the country they loved. There aren’t words to fully describe my gratitude.
We celebrate
American independence from Great Britain on July 4th, but that’s not all. After the battle of Yorktown during the Revolutionary War,
the French officer Marquis de Lafayette said, “Humanity has won its battle, liberty now has a country.” That is a mandate we cannot take
lightly. President Ronald Reagan later said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our
children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same…”
As you celebrate
our freedom this weekend, take a moment and remember those who sacrificed for this great nation. Happy Independence Day! Happy
Trails, Cynthia Lummis |
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WORKING IN WYOMING
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MEDIA:
 News Around Wyoming:
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TWO FUN THINGS
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This week, members of my staff
had the opportunity to tour parts of the Red Desert and go down in a trona mine in southwest Wyoming. The Red Desert tour was led by the Wyoming
Outdoor Council and Friends of the Red Desert. Wyoming is one of the most geographically and geologically diverse places in the world. If you
haven’t had a chance to visit some of the lesser-known beauties in Wyoming, this is the perfect summer to do it! Learn more about this natural
wonder here.
  The Ciner mine in southwest Wyoming produces trona, which is refined
into soda ash. Soda ash is used in everyday products such as glass, kitty litter, laundry detergent, and baking soda. Wyoming is home to the world’s largest
deposit of trona, and supplies about 90% of the nation’s soda ash. It is Wyoming’s top export.   |
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