Our Family Helping Your Family

Born the youngest of six children to Juan and Louisa Vigil. Jane is survived by her brothers, Henry and Albert Vigil. She is also survived by nieces and nephews; David, Myra, and Lori and Families; Johnny and Tobin and their families; Diana, Rick and Anita and their families; Daniel, Genevieve, Sophia and with red-painted back ends, along.

“Pretty soon, the bombers’ squadron leaders didn’t know we were black,” he said. “ ey just said ‘We Want the Red Tails.’” e unit gained a reputation as “Red-Tailed Angels.” at was brought home as they disembarked from their ship at the

Despite their successes, the Army was still segregated and members of the Air Group were not allowed to celebrate with their white peers in the o cers’ clubs.

war’s end.

“ e worst thing was coming back on the troop ship after the war and walking down the gangplank I see two signs,” omas said. “One goes this way, the other turns o , says ‘Colored.’ I put my life on the line every day, just like everyone else.”

Top Secret to Top Gun

In fact, their service was not acknowledged until 60 years later. Much of it was labeled “classi ed” meaning that the servicemen themselves were not allowed to speak of it.

at had not changed four years later in 1949 when the Air Force decided to host a competition for its best pilots. Called Top Gun, the namesake for the Tom Cruise movies, the contest pitted teams of pilots in six skills over the Nevada salt ats that would become Nellis Air Force base.

e teams competed in aerial gunnery — plane-to-plane shooting — at 12,000 and 20,000 feet, dive bombing, skip bombing, stra ng runs and ring rockets.

Four pilots from the 332 Air Wing competed — Capt. Alva Temple and 1st Lts. James Harvey, Harry Stewart and Halbert Alexander. ey not only fared well, they won the team competition.

eir win, like their service, was declared a classi ed secret and the trophy was boxed up, labeled “Do Not Open” and hidden in a closet. It was discovered in 2004 by a journalist. It, and a plaque commemorating the win, are on display in a trophy case at the Nellis base.

“Of course, it’s in a building that has no direct public access,” Martin said. “You know that sometimes if you call ahead and make arrangements, you can come see it.”

Rice-Allen and Martin said they didn’t know much of their fathers’ service growing up. Rice-Allen said she was in third grade when her father built storage cubbies in the house for the family to store there favorite things — ve cubbies in all, one for her, her brother and her sister and both parents. e children asked their father what he had to put in his cubby.”

“My mother was nudging him, saying ‘You need to tell them. If you don’t I will,’ Rice-Allen said.

He eventually showed them a map he had detailing a bombing mission he’d own to Berlin.

“He was somewhat reluctant,” she said.

Both agreed their fathers pushed them and their siblings to succeed and be the best they could be.

“ e family motto was, you are getting an education so failure is not an option,” Rice -Allen said. “If it doesn’t work the rst time, gure it out and make it happen. And I think that lesson has served me well: Never quit. Figure it out and make it happen.” their families. Jane is also survived by an extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins and friends, who she loved and helped unconditionally.

We trust our beloved Jane into the presence of our heavenly father, may he keep her and grant her peace.

On Feb. 22, as calls came into local police departments that our schools were under attack, one thing became apparent – We are very traumatized in society.

Thankfully, the reports to 911 that active shooters were inside schools across Colorado were untrue and proved to be false as officers stormed the buildings. However, the trauma that goes with these calls was very apparent.

For me, as a mother and journalist, I immediately stressed out. I watched other journalists on Twitter make comments putting into words just how I was feeling. Many said as soon as the calls come in, we start worrying about what could be happening in our communities.

As more than a dozen schools were impacted throughout the day, Littleton made the list. It was later in the day and police headed into Littleton Public Schools, locking students inside, leaving parents