Cowboy Skill Games & Cheyenne Frontier Days Honors Wyoming Airmen Who Saved Kidnapped Child

Cheyenne Frontier Days and Cowboy Skill Games of Wyoming on Monday honored two Wyoming airmen from F.E. Warren Air Force Base whose quick actions led to the rescue of a kidnapped child from an armed fugitive.

AW
Annaliese Wiederspahn

July 27, 20212 min read

Military monday wave

Cheyenne Frontier Days and Cowboy Skill Games of Wyoming on Monday honored two Wyoming airmen from F.E. Warren Air Force Base whose quick actions led to the rescue of a kidnapped child from an armed fugitive.

Airman Suzanne Pedro and Airman First Class Frank Shaw were honored guests in the Cowboy Skill Games sponsor box at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo as part of the rodeo’s “Military Appreciation Monday.”

Paul Goldean, a combat veteran of the 75th Ranger Regiment who is now president of Pace-O-Matic, the company which develops and distributes Cowboy Skill games, said Pedro and Shaw’s story was so inspiring he wanted to draw attention to it.

“We invited many soldiers to join us this week for Cheyenne Frontier Days. But Airmen Pedro and Shaw’s heroic actions really stood out. They are true American heroes and are exemplary of our military,” Goldean said.

According to the U.S. Air Force, while Pedro was guarding the gate at F.E. Warren AFB, a driver who was trying to get onto the base presented her with an unusual form of identification.

When the man and child in the vehicle refused to make eye contact with the airman, she quietly alerted her supervisors and wingmen on duty at the gate; the vehicle was subsequently detained.

It was then that the officers discovered the man was a fugitive and the child had been kidnapped since December, 2020.

During Monday’s rodeo, announcer Garrett Yerigan recognized Pedro and Shaw for their actions, prompting a standing ovation by 15,000 people attending the third performance of the 10-day rodeo.

Cowboy Skill Games hosted dozens of soldiers and sailors in its sponsor boxes on Monday. They were joined by Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, First Lady Jennie Gordon, Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins, and Vice-Admiral Sean Buck, US Navy.

Pedro and Shaw were joined in the Cowboy Skill Games sponsor box by fellow U.S. Air Force service members including:

Senior Airman Joshua Morales, 90th Missile Maintenance Squadron
Airman 1st Class Zachery Ravlin, 90th Civil Engineer Squadron
Airman 1st Class Frank Shaw, 90th Security Forces Squadron
Capt. Stephanie Sanchez, 90th Operations Support Squadron
Airman 1st Class Skylar Reno, 90th Missile Wing Judge Advocate
Airman 1st Class Zachery Ravlin, 90th Civil Engineer Squadron

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Annaliese Wiederspahn

State Political Reporter