More Than 300 Pack Into Cheyenne American Legion To Celebrate Veterans

CHEYENNE — Military service has been Mark Pfenning’s life literally since the day he was born in a U.S. Army hospital in France 62 years ago.

After growing up the son of U.S. Air Force Col. Daniel Pfenning, who retired from F.E. Warren Air Force Base, the younger Pfenning served in uniform for 40 years before retiring from the Army as a chief warrant officer 5.

Along with about 300 others packed into a standing-room-only American Legion Post 6 meeting hall Tuesday, Pfenning said he feels like celebrating.

While it seems natural to treat the days America sets aside for its veterans as solemn affairs, Veterans Day “is when we celebrate,” he said.

“Celebrate is the right word, as these veterans are still here,” Pfenning said. “They are here for us to talk to, to reminisce with, to share a cup of coffee or beer or a story.”

Whether active service or not, it’s sometimes easy to pick out the veterans in a community, said Wyoming American Legion Department Commander Russell Stafford. They’re the ones who are first to help out, volunteer or become first-responders.

That was apparent in August in Fort Stewart, Georgia, when five soldiers were wounded when another soldier started shooting his coworkers. Their rapid response likely saved others that day, Stafford said.

“The fast actions of these soldiers under stress and under trauma and under fire absolutely saved lives,” he said. “They are everything that is good about this nation.”

Petty Officer 3^rd Class Scott Ruskan, 26, is another example of military heroism in everyday American life, Stafford said.

During the devastating central Texas flash floods this past summer that killed at least 138 people, including kids at a summer camp, Ruskan, a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer, saved 165 people.

“The death toll could have been a whole lot (worse) if not for the extraordinary actions of the Coast Guard and … Ruskin and his crew,” Stafford said.

“He responded modestly with the comment that most U.S. veterans make: I’m just doing a job,” Stafford continued. “This is what I signed up for, and I think that any pilot, flight mechanic, or whoever it may be would have done the exact same thing in our situation.”

It’s Love

There’s a simple reason military veterans do what they do, said Pfenning. It’s love.

“Veterans endure this and much more out of love — love for family, love for fellow soldiers, for peace and freedom, and for the United States,” he said.

When they get out of the military, many veterans take up similar service roles in private life, Stafford said. That includes the large number of first responders who have military service, compared to 6% for the overall public.

“When a veteran leaves the military, he or she is likely to be a key contributor to our communities,” he said. “That may be a school teacher, a construction worker or a first responder.

“Regardless of the occupation, veterans take their missions seriously.”

Stafford also called out recognition for the 17 veterans a day across the U.S. who kill themselves, according to the Veterans Administration. While that’s down from 22 a day, it’s still 17 too many, he said.

Rob Larsen, leader of the Post 6 Riders motorcycle group, called that suicide rate a “national tragedy”

Larsen said his father served in the Air Force during the Korean War, but that he was never in the military.

“I’m serving now,” he said.

Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.