Wyoming National Guard
By Joseph Coslett Jr.
CASPER, Wyo. — The Wyoming Veterans Commission concluded its inaugural Veteran Services Symposium at Casper College, Casper, Wyoming, bringing together more than 150 service providers, advocates and leaders from across the state to strengthen the network of care for Wyoming’s veterans.
The event centered on working together and capacity-building, providing attendees with tools to better serve veterans and their families. The two-day agenda featured keynote presentations, workshops, and discussions on topics such as post-traumatic stress disorder and moral injury, grant writing, veteran caregiving, personality types in team dynamics, and even emerging risks related to artificial intelligence scams.
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon joined the event to present six peer-nominated individuals and organizations with the prestigious “Excellence in Service to Veterans” award. The award recipients are as follows: Tami Dietz, Wyoming Military Department Soldier and Family Readiness; Todd Bray, DownRange Warriors; Scott O’Hare, Volunteers of America Northern Rockies; Darrell Haugen, Veterans’ Rock; Charlie & Jennifer Wilson, Soldiers House of Fremont County; Dr. John R. McPherson, D.D.S., P.C & Staff, McPherson Dental.
“These awards are about more than recognition—they’re a testament to the dedication of those who choose to stand beside our veterans every day,” Gordon said. “Wyoming owes a great debt to those who have served, and events like this are how we make sure we’re doing everything possible to support them.”
Sandy McFarland, Deputy Director of the Wyoming Veterans Commission and lead organizer of the event, said the symposium exceeded expectations and highlighted the collective will across Wyoming to do better for its veterans.
“This event was about moving from isolated effort to coordinated impact,” McFarland said. “We want to empower the people who serve veterans—whether they work for the VA, a nonprofit, or in a local community—to build partnerships that truly change lives.”
Among the sessions were presentations from Val Burgess, who shared the preserved voices and stories of World War II POWs from Stalag Luft III, and a workshop hosted by Ben Patton, founder of the Patton Veterans Project, which uses filmmaking as a method to reduce isolation for veterans coping with PTSD.
“The strength of this symposium was in the real stories,” said Tim Shepherd, Director of the Veterans Commission. “You couldn’t walk away from those sessions without a deeper understanding of what our veterans have endured—and how we can meet them where they are.”
The symposium concluded with a Veteran Resource Fair, where federal, state, and nonprofit partners came together for a one-stop-shop event providing VA benefit support, legal resources, mental health access and more.
Looking ahead, the Wyoming Veterans Commission intends to build on this momentum, making the Veteran Services Symposium an annual event.
“This is just the beginning,” McFarland added. “We are building a statewide movement rooted in empathy, coordination, and results. Veterans deserve nothing less.”