(Lander, WY)—If anyone in Lander, WY forgets about Veterans Day, the annual tradition of 5 AM cannon fire certainly serves as a great reminder.
A local tradition going back decades and involving Lander legends/Veterans like Chuck Faulkner and Harvey Brannan, each year on Veterans Day local Veterans honor those who have served our country by driving throughout town to shoot off celebratory cannon fire from a Winchester mini cannon (blanks, don’t worry), mounted on the back of a moving truck. It’s just about as “Wyoming” as Wyoming can get.
Many ask, “Why 5 AM?”
In the past, cannons were also fired at 7 AM in Arlington National Cemetery as a part of their Veterans Day ceremony (the observance now takes place at 11 AM), and the 5 AM Wyoming start time was meant to coincide with that.
Local Veterans also joke it’s done so early so that people will wake up on time for the Veterans Day breakfast.
Either way, the tradition lives on, and the Lander Vets have now graciously allowed County 10 to ride along for the fourth year in a row.
Wade Mitchell, an SW-1/E-6 NAVY Seabee, led the cannon crew this year, with wife Ann, Jennifer Campbell and kiddos Ivy and Ethan rounding out the troupe.
Check out the video below, which includes the first cannon shot at 5 AM, and another one on Main Street.
