Flags of service

Colonel Terry Wilkerson of Sundance served in the Wyoming National Guard for 26 years.

When he retired in 1990, nobody is quite sure why he was not presented with the flags of his state and nation, but it was an oversight that Adjutant General Greg Porter was keen to remedy.

Porter visited Sundance last week with the United States and Wyoming flags in hand, to perform a brief but heartfelt ceremony for the man he sees as a mentor.

"Serving in the Guard is twofold: we serve our state and we serve the nation," he said of the tradition that includes both flags.

Porter has known Wilkerson for a quarter of a century.

"He happened to be on the hiring board that selected me to come to Sheridan when I was a young lieutenant," he said.

It was this hiring decision in 1990 that enabled Porter to move to Wyoming, begin a family and serve his country in the National Guard.

"He's been a mentor and a friend over the years, ever since I was a young lieutenant – so he's got a lot to answer for," Porter joked.

He added, more seriously, that the same is true for many of the soldiers and airmen that serve in Wyoming today.

"You go back and think of all the people that Terry has impacted and that Jane has brought into her circle of love and it's an incredible amount," he said.

"You think about our organization and the DNA that comes in, people who don't even know Colonel Wilkerson are impacted by the decisions and the standards that he set because those of us that got to work with him and serve with him try to emulate that."

It's unlikely that there's a higher legacy than not just Wilkerson's service, but also the way he served, Porter said.

"Even after you've left the National Guard...all the things you continue to do, [like] hunting with veterans. You're just a giver," he said.

"...Hopefully, those of us that get to serve with you and have served with you can aspire to serve like you've done."