With honor, humility and respect: warriors to unveil Gold Star Families Memorial 

Brad Walden from the WYO W.E.S.T. Warrior Foundation and Whitney Benefits Board President Roy Garber made an appearance on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse to announce an unveiling ceremony for the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in the newly designated Patriot Park at Whitney Commons.

The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. Monday, May 29, at Whitney Commons, located at 260 North Jefferson St. in Sheridan.

Walden, a cofounder of WYO W.E.S.T. Warrior Foundation, talked about who they are and why he and his fellow warriors felt they had to found this organization dedicated to those who serve.

Gold Star Families are families who have lost a service member in the line of duty, paying the ultimate sacrifice for their nation and fellow citizens.  

According to the WYO W.E.S.T. Warrior Foundation, all Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments are similar in design. On one side of the monument a plaque reads “Gold Star Families Memorial Monument, in tribute to Gold Star Families and Relatives who sacrificed a Loved One for our Freedom.” They are made of four black granite panels representing homeland, family, patriot and sacrifice and images on each panel represent the Gold Star families within the community.

The Gold Star Families Memorial Monument located in Patriot Park is only the second of its kind in the state of Wyoming. 

Garber told listeners that after speaking with the foundation and learning they needed a site for the monument, he and the Whitney Benefits Board felt the cause fell in-line with the values of Edward Whiteny. 

Along with donating the location of Patriot Park, Whitney Benefits and the Whitney Commons ground crew will maintain the area and the monument. 

According to the WYO W.E.S.T. Warrior Foundation, the Woody Williams Foundation is responsible for beginning and maintaining the Gold Star Families program. To date, there are monuments in all 50 states with 122 monuments currently installed and 70 in progress.