MONUMENTAL BIG GOALS FOR EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT

by Ally Gallagher

Not many 13-year-olds can say they’ve flown a plane. Colin Saber can. Two years ago, Saber’s uncle, a Boeing 747 pilot, surprised his nephew with his first flight lesson. An aviation enthusiast from a young age, Saber loved every second.

“It was probably one of the best things of my life,” Saber says. So, when it came to deciding on a service project to achieve his Eagle Scout rank, Saber knew his project would be connected to aviation. Service projects are the last requirement to becoming an Eagle Scout, the highest scout rank in the Boy Scouts of America organization. The project should relate to a scout’s hobbies and interests, and must give back to the community in some way. With a hobby like flying planes and an interest in history, Saber set sky-high expectations for himself and his service project.

Living in Monument, Saber quickly learned about the local U.S. Army Air Corps veteran Col. Earl Depner, who was a P-51 Mustang pilot in World War II. The P-51 was a long-range single-seat fighter plane.

“Col. Earl Depner was a long-time resident of Monument,” Saber says. “He flew the P-51 in World War II, got shot down as well as shot down enemy aircraft. I was so impressed by his story that I decided to [honor him].”

Saber found a sculpture of a P-51 plane in Loveland that was crafted by Robert Henderson, a former pilot and now artist in Cañon City. With a sculpture and an inspiring story, Saber got to work. His goal was to have the 2,000-pound sculpture relocated to the Monument Town Hall in honor of Col. Depner and all WWII veterans.

Col. Earl Depner passed away in January 2022, at 104 years old. Just three World War II veterans still live in Monument.

“There aren’t very many veterans left,” Saber says. “If this monument isn’t placed, some people will forget about World War II and the people that saved the world and saved as many people as they did.”

“I want people to remember it because they did save the world. And there’s not very many people left that have experienced what [World War II veterans] have gone through. So I feel like right now is the time to do this.”

To accomplish his goal, Saber needed the approval of Monument’s town council, as well as about $45,000 to purchase the sculpture, add plaques, and relocate and install it. The Monument town council approved the idea quickly, but the biggest hurdle was yet to come. Saber didn’t falter at the thought of $45,000, though – he just got to work. Saber created a website to publicize his project and tell the story of Col. Depner. As new information about his project becomes available, he shares it there.

“I’ve been having to update my site a little bit recently because of all the new donations, all the new sponsorships that have been going on recently, and all of the good things that have been happening over the last couple of weeks,” Saber says.

With his outreach efforts, Saber has raised more than $10,000. With a lot of work left ahead, he’s not slowing down any time soon.

“Any way that getting the word out is possible, I will do it,” Saber says. “People want to give, they just don’t know it’s happening. I want people to know it’s happening.”

To learn more about Col. Depner and Saber’s

Scout project, visit www.p51monument.com