Wyoming Lime helps give a hero's welcome

When many young men were returning home after serving in the Vietnam War, most didn’t receive a hero’s welcome. But nearly 50 years later, employees at subsidiary Wyoming Lime Producers, paid tribute to a Vietnam veteran on his way to his final resting place.

According to Justin Bowers, Wyoming Lime site manager, operator Ron Busch saw an article in the local newspaper about a Wyoming soldier who had been missing in action since 1967 when the plane he was flying was shot down in southeast Asia. The article said his remains had been found and identified this summer and would be returned to his hometown of Worland, Wyoming, on July 19. Busch suggested Wyoming Lime pay tribute by hanging a flag from one of the plant’s large pieces of equipment.

“It was a great idea,” Bowers says. “We decided to hang a large flag from a 90-foot boom right by the tree line so it would be visible from the airplane when the casket was flown from the airport in Billings to his final resting place in Worland. It was something we were all very proud to do. To show support for those who fought for our freedom.”