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Two Wyoming Airmen Honored At Cheyenne Frontier Days For Rescuing Kidnapped Child
Published
3 years agoon
By
News Release
Cheyenne Frontier Days and Cowboy Skill Games of Wyoming on Monday (July 26th) 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, in late June 2021, 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.
Shaw then relayed information to the base defense operations center, which verified warrants had been issued for the arrest of the man in the car and contacted local law enforcement to inform officers of the situation.
The child had been kidnapped from its biological mother in 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 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.