Organizers for the Path of Honor Wind River Reservation Veterans Memorial Sculpture Garden are excited to announce the project is on target for a grand opening this summer. The Path of Honor will be a tribute to all veterans and active military who have lived within the boundaries of the Wind River Reservation.
“This memorial will honor all veterans who have served their country and are from the Wind River Reservation,” said Commander Wyman Weed, American Legion Post #81. “We are a community of descendants of Native American warriors, so this will honor them, their families and all those who have served from the Reservation. This memorial will be here for our grandchildren and generations to come.”
This community-based project is dedicated to honoring service members from all branches of the U.S. military, including veterans and active military. Numerous donations have propelled this project substantially, but the community’s help is still needed. Any veteran or active military member who has lived or currently lives on the Reservation may have their name included in the Path of Honor memorial. In order to ensure inclusion, names must be submitted by February 7. To submit a name or make a contribution, please call 307-620-5300 or visit our Facebook page at WRR Vet Memorial.
“Through generous donations, this project will create a centralized location for ceremonies, celebrations, and remembrances of all those who served this country and protected American freedom,” said project coordinator Lisa Wagner.
Scott Ratliff, Eastern Shoshone tribal member and Vietnam veteran and supporter of the sculpture project added, “The Path of Honor project at its core seeks to unify, include and inspire, encouraging us all to come together to learn about, preserve and honor the incredible courage, commitment and sacrifice of all veterans who have lived on the Reservation, including Natives and non-Natives.”
The memorial will be located outside the Frank B. Wise Business Plaza in Fort Washakie. It was designed so visitors can enter the garden through the East, seeing monuments silhouetted against the Wind River Mountains to the West. The path through the garden will include four stately stone sculptures. Native plants will be scattered along the trail. As visitors walk forward, towards the mountains, they will pass the four unique monuments, each dedicated to a different era of service. Names of local veterans will be etched on each stone.