CHEYENNE — As many as 100 showed up at the Cheyenne National Cemetery off Happy Jack Road ahead of an advertised 11 a.m. Memorial Day observance to remember America’s fallen heroes and loved ones.
Instead, they were stood up.
No one was there to play the taps, which is played during patriotic memorial ceremonies and military funerals.
No honor guard showed up, no 21-gun salute, and no prayers — at least not until four hours after a scheduled observance posted by the U.S. Veterans Administration at 11 a.m.
Just a big bureaucratic mix-up?
Try explaining the tussle over timing to the veterans and family who showed up at 11 a.m. — as announced on the VA’s website —expecting some sort of Memorial Day observance but finding the national cemetery deserted, except for others who showed up for the same.
The families, some of them driving in from out of state, are fighting mad.
Memorial Day is when U.S. military personnel who have died serving their country get some dedicated respect, prayers and other honors.
“I’m kind of amazed that there isn’t a (memorial) service happening,” said Keith Jobes, a veteran who has friends and acquaintances buried in the national cemetery. “I