Gov. Mark Gordon said it was a testament to Wyoming government's commitment to its people and the United States of America's founding principals that the entire Washington D.C. delegation and all five state elected officials joined many local politicians July 3 for the annual Freedom Celebration at Wyoming Veterans Memorial Park in Cody.

Some of the speakers spoke of their appreciation of the large crowd of people there for the event, for organizer Carol Armstrong and Park County GOP Chairman Martin Kimmet, for the fallen soldiers whose names are etched on the walls behind where they spoke, and the ag producers who help feed the country.

And while the traditional T-34 flyover was canceled due to a pilot illness, a jet flew over to land at Yellowstone Regional Airport as the event began.

Retired U.S. Marine Corps officer and former gubernatorial candidate Brent Bien delivered the main speech of the day, talking of the nation's founding, of the small number of signers of the Declaration of Independence willing to put their lives on the line in the cause of liberty.

He said America’s enemies, both foreign and domestic, are opposed to American liberty and the U.S. Constitution.

“I say it’s high noon in Wyoming,” he said, adding, “It’s time to defend the Constitution.”

And he drew from a famous speech given by President Theodore Roosevelt following his years as president, when he told a crowd of nearly 30,000 Parisians the importance of making an effort.

Bien implored all those present to also "stand in the arena” and be the people who defend the U.S. Constitution and continue to fight for the cause of liberty. 

“All patriotic Americans should choose to jump in the arena and defend liberty,” he said.