CODY, Wyoming – September 27, 2025 – There is a particular magic to the American West, a promise written in the contours of a map that can only be fulfilled by traversing them.
For the Van of Valor team, it was a trip to try to drum up mission support in Cody.
“I’m told the patriotism of Cody is forged in the same fires as the valor of its veterans,” said Dr. Kevin P. Wallace, Van of Valor cofounder and Purple Heart recipient. “It’s a community that understands the price of freedom, a truth honored in every handshake with a Purple Heart recipient and every story of a local hero’s courageous service. We’re coming to get those stories now.”
“There’s also that sense of Westward promise,” said Lauren Wallace, Van of Valor cofounder, practicing anthropologist and Harvard University history graduate student. “Term it how you choose, but I’ve always felt a call to the West, and in this case it felt like it was literally calling us from the other side of the Bighorn Mountains; we had to go.”
The journey west on U.S. Highway 14 is more than a mere change in elevation; it’s a passage through a cathedral of granite and pine, a test of mettle for both machine and spirit.
“The Van of Valor is a faithful but aging steed,” said Dr. Wallace. “She approached the foothills with a not-so-quiet hum of tinker-tatters, and bings and bongs, which is really great for anxiety before going through 9,000-foot mountain passes.”
Wallace, a former Public Affairs Officer for Air Force One under President Barack Obama, continued, “the dashboard looked like its usual constellation of warning lights, but suddenly a tire pressure warning and the empty wiper fluid light popped on too. I remember joking to Lauren, ‘hey, babes, we have the entire Milky Way over here now!’ Yet, onward she trudged, keeping Sunny, Lauren and I safe, so far.”
Then, as the road began its earnest climb out of the high plains, weaving into the embrace of the Bighorn National Forest, every personal worry was dwarfed by the overwhelming scale of nature’s grandeur.
“The ascent is a breathtaking revelation. The air cools and thickens with the scent of lodgepole pine and damp earth,” said the Harvard student, who is documenting the Van of Valor mission for the Library of Congress and Harvard University concurrently.
The road, an engineering marvel, clings to the mountainside, offering heart-stopping vistas at every turn, said Dr. Wallace, adding, “They reminded Lauren of wagon trails, and she said the harsh cutbacks needed to slow the roll so horse and cart didn’t go over.”
Sheer rock faces give way to meadows bursting with wildflowers, and crystal-clear streams cascade down rocky gullies. The Wallaces, along with their 11-year-old dachshund, Sunny, had been navigating the flat, monotonous stretches of the plains after being broken down near Sioux Falls, S.D., for 10 days, and again in Sundance for another few weeks.
“The sensory explosion of seeing those canyons was a profound relief. It was a reminder that the world is still vast, wild, and magnificently beautiful,” said Mrs. Wallace. “But, this beauty demands a toll. The signs warning of steep grades, sharp curves, and runaway truck ramps are not mere suggestions; they are sobering realities.”
The Van of Valor’s engine now groaned with a newfound intensity.
“Like a deep-throated roar that echoed against the canyon walls,” said Dr. Wallace. “Each switchback was a careful dance — a slow, deliberate turn of the wheel, a gentle press on the brakes, a constant, silent prayer that the aging transmission would find the right gear.
“The descent on the western slope was, if anything, more harrowing than the climb, a controlled slide against gravity where the smell of hot brakes filled the cab,” he added.
Yet, through every incline and precipitous decline, the Van of Valor persevered. It seemed it was more than a vehicle; that it was a member of the team.
“Her quirks and complaints were known, but her heart was strong,” said Mrs. Wallace. “She powered on, not with the effortless surge of a new machine, but with the determined, gritty resolve of a veteran. She earned her name anew on those mountain passes, each conquered mile a testament to her own valor.”
The Wallaces found peace up there too.
“To sit with Gold Star families, to hold space for their loss, requires a reservoir of strength that can easily be depleted. Out here, nature doesn’t ask for a diagnosis; it offers a restoration,” said Dr. Wallace. “The scale and permanence of these mountains recalibrate the soul, reminding us that we are small parts of something timeless. This healing is essential. It’s what allows us to continually recommit, to go back into the emotional trenches with the humility and resilience the families deserve.”
Mrs. Wallace agreed, stating she sees the journey itself as foundational to their purpose.
“There’s a profound difference between being emotionally stuck and being on a purposeful journey. The van, with all its imperfections, wasn’t stuck; it was climbing and achieving. There is a peace in forward momentum, no matter how slow,” said Mrs. Wallace. “Watching it push through its limitations to carry us on this difficult mission can be heartbreaking, I see that in Kevin, he puts his everything into the van and the mission, and she’s a problem often.”
While in Sundance, the Wallaces wrote the names of more than 300 fallen veterans that they’ve memorialized so far in this journey.
“Now she is covered in the names of whom we’ve memorialized, that makes the van itself a memorial,” Mrs. Wallace said. “As a passenger through this magnificent region of our great country taught me that the commitment to this mission isn’t about avoiding struggle, but about finding the faith within it. The drive renews our capacity for compassion.”
As they descended into the Bighorn Basin, the late afternoon sun cast the world in gold. The Van of Valor, having proven its mettle, carried them forward, fortified.
The road ahead to the next interview was long, but the memory of the climb — the fusion of mechanical grit and natural splendor — had replenished their resolve.
“We didn’t just cross a mountain range; we found a sanctuary that restored the moral courage required to listen, to honor, and to remember,” said Mrs. Wallace.
The Van of Valor will be stationed in Cody for a few weeks for repairs and to use Cody as a homebase for meetings, veteran events and upcoming interviews.
To read their stories, and find links to video, radio and other interviews, visit: www.HelpVoV.com
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