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Combat boots and cowboy hats: volunteers swap battle dress for blue jeans during a 10-day rodeo billed as the "Daddy of 'em all"
Airman, Nov, 2004 by Mark Kinkade
Mr. Lutz said the lifestyle the rodeo projects is the main reason people who get involved stay involved.
"It's about traditional values like being with your family, acting in an honorable and honest fashion, courtesy and clean competition," he said. "These cowboys out here represent a way of life. It's my life, and it's the life a lot of people who call this area home."
If Frontier Days is the defining event for the Cheyenne community, it's also the defining event for F.E. Warren. The Air Force Thunderbirds launched their demonstration career with a show in 1957, and come back every year. And where other bases open the gates to the public during air shows, the 90th Space Wing at Warren hosts "Fort D.A. Russell Days" in conjunction with the rodeo. Locals and tourists alike get a chance to see the Air Force and the history of the base.
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After a few days in Cheyenne, it becomes crystal clear that the base and the community are one, Mrs. Taylor said.
"Would there be a Frontier Days without F.E. Warren?" she pondered. "Probably not. In fact, if F.E. Warren wasn't here, I don't think there would he a Cheyenne."
F.E. Warren AFB at a glance
Mission: One word: Missiles. The host unit 90th Space Wing manages intercontinental ballistic missile complexes in Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado.
Location: Colocated with Cheyenne in southeast Wyoming, approximately 90 minutes north of Denver and 30 minutes north of the Colorado border.
Getting around: Small commuter aircraft service Cheyenne's Municipal airport, with connections from Denver. Interstate 25 runs through Colorado to Cheyenne and 1-80 cuts across the lower portion of the state from Nebraska to Utah. And of course, you can always ride horseback.
Population: F.E. Warren boasts about 4,800 active duly and civilians as of 2004. More than 53,000 live in Cheyenne. Wyoming is file least populous U.S. state with about 450,000 people living in the 10th largest state.
History: F.E. Warren began in 1867 as Fort D.A. Russell, an Army Post built to protect a new railroad in the area. Cheyenne was established at the same time. The Army turned the base over to the newly created Air Force in 1947. F.E. Warren is the oldest continuously active military installation in the United States.
Climate: Wyoming is known for bitterly cold winters and mild-to-hot summers. The average temperature during Frontier Days, held in June or July, is about 74 degrees at its peak. Rain is common in summer.
Cost of Living: Community housing is reasonable, with the average 3-bedroom home running about $850 per month. Modernized base housing gives would-be renters an attractive home option. Farming, mining and tourism are the major industries in the state.
Recreation: From fishing to snow skiing, hunting and just about every other sport, Wyoming has a place and a time for it. Being close to Colorado, Cheyenne is the gateway to winter sports.
Want More Information?
Learn more about F.E. Warren Air Force Base at www.warren.af.mil and www.afcrossroads.com
COPYRIGHT 2004 U.S. Air Force, Air Force News Agency
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
