Cheyenne’s Ronald Mills Named Hero of The Game In Laramie

Courtesy Ronald Mills

Cheyenne Master Sergeant Ronald Mills will be honored as AARP Wyoming’s Hero of The Game during The University of Wyoming’s football game against Colorado State on November 3 at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.

Mills will be honored at halftime of the Wyoming-Colorado State game, designated by the University of Wyoming as Military Appreciation Day. Mills and his family will receive a seat upgrade and parking pass from the University of Wyoming. Mills will have his story told on the in-stadium big screen, as well as on the social media channels for University of Wyoming Athletics and AARP Wyoming.

Mills is a military man through-and-through, having been born in San Diego while his father was in the Navy. Mills went on active duty with the US Army in 2000 and spent two years in Iraq. During multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mills was in leadership for over 1,800 missions. He earned the Purple Heart, four Army Commendations, and one Air Force Commendation for actions taken during his deployments.

During one deployment, Mills was struck by shrapnel from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), resulting in an extended hospital recovery, and spent over a month learning to walk again. After leaving active duty, he immediately joined the National Guard in the name of continuing to serve. He would go on to oversee a $17 million security project in Afghanistan, managing Afghan National foot traffic on the base where he was stationed.

Mills, who has been stationed in Fort Reilly, Kans., Lincoln, Neb. and Cheyenne remains a full-time member of the Wyoming National Guard in Cheyenne.

“I come from a family of service members,” Mills says. “Continuing to serve and pass along the knowledge I have gained to the next generation of service members and leave the best footprint on this world is very important to me.”

Mills will be joined at the game by his wife, Lindsey, and children, Ellie and Trevor.

AARP and Military, Veterans, and Their Families
AARP has more than 3 million veterans in its membership and has made issues facing veterans, military members, and their families a priority. To that end, the organization has produced a free military caregiving handbook available by clicking here. The guide offers helpful resources and caregiving checklists, facts about veteran and military caregivers, and five key issues to address in your caregiving journey.

AARP also offers the free Watchdog Alert Veterans Addition guide, which is available by clicking here. The guide outlines the fact 1-in-3 current or former military members have been targeted by disability or benefit scams and how veterans and military families can avoid being scammed. More free resources can be found at aarp.org/veterans.

On March 1, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon signed a proclamation declaring Wyoming a Hidden Heroes State, which recognizes the caregivers of veterans across Wyoming while highlighting some of the available resources for military caregivers.

The Hidden Heroes campaign is a collaboration between AARP and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation to bring attention to the untold stories of military caregivers and seeks solutions for the challenges and long-term needs they face. The Hidden Heroes effort also attempts to inspire individuals, businesses, and others to take action on supporting military caregivers in their communities and establish a national registry, encouraging military caregivers to register at hiddenheroes.org to better connect with helpful resources and support.