Publishing this newspaper and web site has been a continual opportunity for those of us involved. This has been an opportunity to use our skills to provide a communication source for Cheyenne’s military and veteran communities.

Beyond that, we have had the good fortune to meet and get to know some great people along the way. Over the years of publishing we have worked with 18 commanders and a similar number of command chiefs of the Mighty 90. Also we’ve worked with a comparable number of public affairs people at F. E. Warren, not to mention the many group commanders. Then there are the 20^th Air Force commanders who have come and gone.

A little over 8 years ago circumstances led us to rebrand from the Warren Sentinel to Cheyenne Minuteman. This change allowed us to start including more Wyoming Army and Air Guard news and information on our pages. That, in turn, enabled us to get to know more of those members leading our Guard in and around Cheyenne.

What an honor to get to know so many who serve our country honorably!

It has been especially rewarding to watch, from a distance, many of these friends and acquaintances advance in their careers and move into more and more important positions guiding their respective services into the future.

I’ve written about it before, but it bears repeating, it has been pleasing to see plenty of those military members complete their military careers and choose to retire in Cheyenne with their families. The second careers of these solid people with heir spouses and kids, provide our community with untold leadership in business, service clubs, churches, politics, and more. Cheyenne is better for that.

This newspaper has provided us the chance to work with, and learn from those leaders. It has provided us occasions to support and participate in countless military, veteran, and community causes, events and groups. For that I am truly thankful.

In turn, we have tried to provide useful news and information to all of you. We have listened to your ideas, concerns, and suggestions and made adjustments along the way accordingly. Your reader feedback has made us better. I am thankful for that, too.

Paying our bills and funding our paychecks has been due to the strong support we have had from Cheyenne’s business community. This is a military town and our advertisers have understood that, and been devoted users of our reach into the military community. Watching these businesses grow and prosper, and knowing we helped them earn and maintain military customers, has been extremely gratifying.

I could fill pages with the names of all the individuals to be thanked for their help, advice and enthusiasm. But I would inadvertently leave someone out. We have been fortunate with many dedicated co-workers over the years, thank you all. But let me indulge in a public thank you to my most recent cohorts at the Minuteman by name: Monica, Janet and Art. You have been amazing!

Retirement is calling and I am answering. Through this newspaper we have been extraordinarily blessed to have been a small part of all this. Thank you.