World War II veteran and centenarian Sidney Walton is on a new mission – to visit each US state as part of his No Regrets Tour. Wyoming marks his 30th state. 

Now 101 years old, Walton originally joined the U.S. Army with a purpose “to fight Hitler”. Walton served a full five years and reached the rank of corporal.

The No Regrets tour was born out of a regret that Walton holds from his own life – never meeting a Civil War veteran while he was able. He hopes that this tour will help provide the nation with a way to avoid feeling regret over not meeting a World War II veteran. Walton also aims to bring awareness to just how small the population of WWII veterans is today. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there’s about 300,000 WWII veterans still alive in 2020. This number is fewer than one-third of what it was only five years ago. 

Walton entered Wyoming on June 6th, the 76th anniversary of the storming of the beaches of Normandy, or D-Day. D-Day is regarded as a day of great significance with helping to end WWII. One year ago today, Walton was in Normandy, France, being honored at the 75th anniversary remembrance ceremony with U.S. President Trump and French President Macron. 

When asked about his favorite part of the tour, Walton’s face lit up when he mentioned meeting all of the people along the way. On Sunday, June 7th, Laramie will have the opportunity to meet Walton in the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn at 2229 Grand Avenue. He’ll then proceed to Cheyenne, where he’ll be meeting with Governor Mark Gordon Monday morning. 

Tour updates can be found at gosidney.com, where contributions can also be made to help Walton achieve his goal of reaching every state.