Remember and Honor Magazine - February 2020

March 20 19

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Important Phone Numbers LOVELAND VA CLINIC

970-962-4900

FORT COLLINS VA CLINIC

970-224-1550

CHEYENNE VA HOSPITAL

307-778-7550

DENVER VA HOSPITAL

303-399-8020

LARIM ER COUNTY VETERAN SERVICES

970-498-7390

WELD COUNTY VETERAN SERVICES

970-400-3444

VET CENTER

970-221-5176

COLORADO DIVISION OF VETERAN AFFAIRS

303-284-6077

N. COLORADO VETERANS RESOURCE CENTER

970-888-4249

VETERANS CRISIS LINE

800-273-8255 (press 1) or text 838255

HEALING WARRIORS PROGRAM

970-776-8387

In This Issue From the Publisher ............................................ 4 Index of Sponsors ............................................. 5 Events ................................................................. 6 Sweetheart Saved Him....................................... 7 Tough Times Don't Last, Tough People Do ..... 8 Gary and the Duke ............................................. 9 Love and Choice ............................................... 10 News Brief .......................................................... 11 Finding Health and Peace with Yoga ............... 12 Cold War Remnants .......................................... 13 New VA Clinic Planned for NoCo ..................... 14 Veterans Honoring Veterans ............................ 15 On The Lighter Side .......................................... 16 Dialogue and Feedback .................................... 18 Veterans Owned Businesses ........................... 19 © 2019 REMEMBER AND HONOR All rights reserved. PO Box 1031, Loveland CO 80538. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Advertisements contained within this publication do not represent endorsement by the publisher. Publisher may not be held liable or responsible for business practices of these companies.

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From the Publisher's Desk

Dear Reader s, Welcom e to Febr uar y. W hile the shor test m onth of the year , even w ith the Leap Year day thr ow n in this year , it has alw ays felt like the longest m onth to m e for som e r eason. It does have in it Valentine?s Day though, and

Brad Hoopes, Publisher Remember And Honor

gr ow ing up in Loveland Valentine?s Day w as and continues to be a big deal ar ound her e.

In line w ith Valentine?s Day, in this issue I thought I w ould tell the stor y of Geor ge Fender. W hile off in the S. Pacific fighting, he constantly thought about his sw eethear t back in Color ado and cr edits her w ith helping him get thr ough it all. I am sur e m any of you left sw eethear ts behind w hen you w ent off to ser ve.

Continuing w ith the them e of love, M ar y Scott gives her take on it in her m onthly colum n.

Loveland r esident Gar y Hausm an had a br ush w ith fam e w hen he w as an extr a in the m ovie ?The Gr een Ber ets? and had a chance to m eet the beloved actor John Wayne. This happened w hen he w as at air bor ne school. Gar y w ould continue on to Vietnam w her e he paid and continues to pay dear ly for his ser vice to our countr y. He is a patr iotic m an w ho loves this countr y.

You w ill also love the inspir ing stor y of Joel Hunt, another veter an w ho has and continues to pay dear ly for his ser vice. Joel r etur ned hom e fr om Ir aq sever ely injur ed fr om a r oadside bom b. He w as figur atively heading dow nhill until he liter ally star ted going dow nhill and tur ned ever ything ar ound.

He has a gr eat per sonal m otto: ?Tough tim es don?t last, tough people do.?

No one likes to give som e TLC to veter ans as m uch as Com eback Yoga does. This non-pr ofit offer s fr ee yoga classes to veter ans and believes yoga is a gr eat alter native for m any to finding healing and peace. They pr esently offer a class in Loveland (a second com ing soon) and one in For t Collins and they w ould love for you to stop in and give it a tr y.

As w ith all pr evious issues, I hope I have put together an issue this m onth that you love. I also hope you r ealize that w e her e in nor ther n Color ado love our veter ans!

W ith r espect and love, Br a d Hoopes Submit your comments, input and story ideas to Brad.Hoopes@RememberAndHonor.com

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I ndex of Sponsors

Ou r Spon sor s m ak e i t possi bl e t o pr ov i de t h i s m on t h l y pu bl i cat i on t o t h e com m u n i t y. W h en you h ave a n eed f or ou r spon sor s' pr odu ct s or ser v i ces, w e ask t h at you gi ve t h em a ch an ce t o ear n you r bu si n ess. Pl ease t el l t h em you f ou n d t h em i n t h e Rem em ber An d Hon or m agazi n e!

Desi gn Cr eative Connection 303-746-6859 Cr eativeConnection.biz

Sen i or Car e Colum bine Health System s 800-718-2164 Colum bineHealth.com

Au t om ot i ve Pr im e-Tim e Autoglass 970-305-0478 ThePr im etim eAutoglass.com

Sen i or Resou r ces Senior Living Advisor s of Color ado 970-541-4592 Slacolo.com

Chr istian Br other s Autom otive (970) 795-2277 CBAC.com /Gr eeley

Vet er an Pu bl i cat i on Rem em ber And Honor 970-631-2027 Rem em ber AndHonor M agazine.com

Hom e I n spect i on Pillar to Post 970-599-0282 Pillar toPost.com /JohnBabin

Vet er an Su ppor t Hear t Scar s 6, LLC M ar y Scott 970-449-3665

M or t gage Stephen Ponce-Por e 970-231-4024 Rate.com /StephenPoncePor e

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Upcoming Events

Febr ua r y Sat u r day Feb 1st , 8t h , 16t h , 22n d, 29t h Pr ou d Am er i can Vet s (Pam vet s) br eak f ast 0730hr Golden Cor r al Restaur ant 1360 Sculptor Dr., Loveland Join over 100+ veter ans fr om all ser vice br anches for a buffet br eakfast and cam ar ader ie.

Sat u r day Feb 1st an d 16t h Vet er an s Hon or i n g Vet er an s St at u e Cer em on y 0800hr Golden Cor r al Restaur ant 1360 Sculptor Dr. Loveland Veter ans Honor ing Veter ans bi-m onthly cer em ony w her e five veter ans ar e honor ed for their ser vice w ith a 12? statue. Held dur ing the Pamvets br eakfast.

Wedn esday Feb 5t h , 12t h , 19t h an d 26t h Vet er an s Wr i t i n g Wor k sh op 1800-1930hr s Eddy Bldg Room 105, CSU Cam pus For t Collins This w or kshop is open to all veter ans, active m ilitar y, dependents and fam ily m em ber s, and m ilitar y affiliates. No exper ience is necessar y. Contact Ryan Lanham at: Ryan.E.Lanham @gm ail.com or visit their w ebsite at: English.colostate.edu/char liem ike/ for m or e infor m ation.

Th u r sday Feb 6t h , 13t h , 20t h , 27t h Vet er an Su ppor t Gr ou p 1100hr N. Colo. Veter ans Resour ce Center 4650 West 20th St, Suite A Gr eeley Pr ovides the oppor tunity to shar e, listen and gr ow individually. The gr oup is r un by a Navigator and a cer tified counselor. Call (970) 888-4249 for m or e infor m ation.

Th u r sday Feb 6t h Ti m ber l i n e Vet er an ?s M i n i st r y (Th e pu bl i c i s w el com e) 1900hr Tim ber line Chur ch 2908 S Tim ber line Rd, For t Collins, CO 80525 A gr oup consisting of Vets, their fam ilies, and suppor ter s. A faith based gr oup that helps individuals deal w ith issues unique to veter ans. M eets the fir st Thur sday of the m onth and r otate speaker s and \ subjects.

Sat u r day Feb 8t h I n au gu r al Wel d Cou n t y Vet er an s Br eak f ast 0730hr Golden Cor r al Restaur ant 3530 23r d Ave. Gr eeley The inaugur al br eakfast to star t a w onder ful tr adition in Gr eeley as is found in Loveland w ith the Pamvets br eakfast.

Wedn esday Feb 19t h Vet er an s Toget h er M eet i n g 1600hr Lar im er County Bldg. 200 West Oak . St. For t Collins 80521 A m onthly gather ing of veter an or ganizations and inter ested veter ans to shar e and discuss veter an issues.

Fr ee Yoga f or Vet er an s Fr ee yoga classes to veter ans, active duty and their fr iends and fam ily. Wear com for table clothes; yoga m ats ar e pr ovided. Questions: 507 881-9642 or em ail: info@Com eBackYoga.com - M ondays 1500hr Loveland Associated Veter ans 305 Cleveland Ave. Loveland 80537 A Thur sday m or ning class w ill be star ting soon.

- Tuesdays 1900hr Raintr ee Athletic Club, Studio 2 2555 S. Shields St. For t Collins 80526

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Sw eet h ear t Saved Hi m Geor ge Fender m ight have physically been in the m iddle of the w ar in the Pacific, but his m ind w as constantly on Color ado. M or e specifically, on a beautiful seventeen-year -old gir l nam ed Dor othy Koenig in Color ado.

Geor ge had no connections to Color ado until the w ar br oke out. Raised by his aunt, uncle, and gr andm other , he gr ew up outside Pittsbur gh, Pennsylvania. As a young kid, he used to sneak into the Pittsbur gh Pir ates?stadium . He eventually got to know the player s and gr ounds cr ew and soon landed a job w ith that cr ew. A highlight at age tw elve w as m eeting Babe Ruth, w ith w hom he sat and talked for seven innings.

W hen the w ar br oke out, Geor ge gave up college and a pr om ising college football car eer to enlist in the Ar my Air Cor ps. He w as sent by the Cor ps for schooling at Color ado A&M (CSU). It w as ther e that Dor othy fir st caught his eye w hen she ser ved him at the Aggies?cafĂŠ. They soon star ted dating and fell in love. W hen it w as tim e for him to leave, he told her that if he m ade it back, he w ould m ar r y her. She pr om ised she w ould w ait for him .

Thr ough all of this, Dor othy w as alw ays on his m ind. ?I constantly looked at her pictur e that she had sent m e. We w r ote each other ever y chance w e got. She is w hy I m ade it back fr om the w ar ,?

Geor ge says, his voice tr ailing off. After com pleting his for ty-ninth m ission, he had a feeling he w ouldn?t sur vive a fiftieth and finally decided it w as tim e to go hom e to his Dor othy.

Geor ge and Dor othy have now been m ar r ied for sixty-six year s, and they have tw o childr en, four gr andchildr en, and one gr eat-gr andchild. Geor ge got his degr ee, taught for thr ee year s, w or ked for Conoco for seven year s, had an inter esting de-skunking business, and topped it all off w ith a tw enty-thr ee-year r eal estate car eer.

Geor ge and Dor othy ar e insepar able and seldom apar t. Geor ge often thinks about the people w ith w hom he ser ved, the fr iends he lost in the w ar , and especially about his cr ew. ?A day doesn?t go by that I don?t think about my cr ew ,? he says.

Note: George passed last Sept. at age 96, the last surviving member of his crew.

Geor ge m oved on to M ississippi and then Flor ida for tr aining as an engineer /w aist gunner on a B-24 bom ber. In Flor ida he w as in a cr ash landing that put him in the hospital for for ty days. In Califor nia he for m ed up in a cr ew and becam e par t of the 307th Bom ber Gr oup (Long Ranger s) of the 13th Air For ce. They shipped out to the Pacific, w her e they set up at a pr im itive jungle base on M or otai Island. The Japanese bom bed them ever y day.

Altogether Geor ge flew for ty-nine m issions. He w as cr edited w ith shooting dow n thr ee Japanese air planes, and his plane w as cr edited w ith sinking a Japanese destr oyer. On one of his m issions he w as w ounded w hen hit by a piece of flak, and he r eceived the Pur ple Hear t. On his thir ty-second m ission, his plane w as hit, and the cr ew w as for ced to bail out. Living off the land and w ith help fr om local guer illa fighter s, they m anaged to elude the Japanese in the jungle for the next thir ty days befor e being r escued.

Because of this exper ience, he could have gone hom e. Even if he hadn?t been shot dow n, he w as only thr ee m issions aw ay fr om the m andator y thir ty m issions, but Geor ge instead volunteer ed for another seventeen m issions!

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Tou gh Ti m es Don ?t Last , Tou gh Peopl e Do

By Joel Hunt I joined the ar my in 1998 w ith plans to m ake it a car eer. Dur ing an Ir aq com bat deploym ent, a r oadside blast left m e w ith a sever e tr aum atic br ain injur y (TBI). Retur ning hom e I felt helpless.

I w as confined to a w heelchair and my par ents m oved in and becam e my car egiver s. I endur ed bouts of dizziness and blackouts and double-vision m ade it difficult to focus. M y TBI also affected my body?s ability to r egulate body tem per atur e, leaving m e at r isk of over -heating. I could not contr ol nor feel my legs. On 15 differ ent m edications, the var ious side-effects caused m e to slur my speech and significantly disr upted my ability to think and concentr ate. I sounded and acted as if I w er e dr unk .

Pr ior to my injur y, I pr ided in pr oviding for my soldier s and now I had to ask for help. I felt sm all and sever ely depr essed. I w as m ad at society and hated my life. At night, I lay r em em ber ing all my buddies that didn?t com e hom e. I felt guilty seeing their w idow s and father less childr en. I felt their anguish and knew they saw m e as som eone lucky to m ake it back . This w as the m ost difficult par t of my hom ecom ing. I felt I should have done m or e to keep my buddies alive. I w ished I had died in Ir aq r ather than face the difficulties of my situation.

Adm ittedly, pr ior to my injur y, I didn?t under stand the challenges of people w ith disabilities. M y injur y changed my per spective and I had a new r espect for the disabled, now know ing fir st-hand how challenging a disability can be.

M y par ents w er e my biggest suppor ter s. They constantly m otivated m e to get out of the house and get active. I w as lucky to have this suppor t.

One spor t that they encour aged m e to tr y w as skiing. Gr ow ing up poor in a sm all tow n in Indiana, I never had the oppor tunity to ski. Skiing w ould change my life.

In Decem ber 2008, my par ents for ced m e to go to a ski cam p for veter ans w ith TBI. Although self-conscious about my TBI and extr em ely anxious about being ar ound new people due to PTSD, I lear ned to ski. W ithin thr ee days I w as car ving w hile going dow nhill. M y instr uctor , a for m er r acer , told m e that I w as doing an aw esom e job. How ever , w hen I asked him if I too

Joel Hunt

could becom e a r acer his r eply w as ?No, you?r e too old.? This m ade m e m ad and deter m ined, so m uch so that I skied 125 days that season.

Deter m ined to r ace, in 2009 I tur ned to the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) for assistance. CAF?s Oper ation Rebound pr ogr am for injur ed tr oops and fir st r esponder s pr ovided m e w ith the equipm ent and additional funding necessar y to com pete as a dow nhill r acer. By the end of that ski season I w as r anked in the top 10 of adaptive skier s nationally. Today, I am r anked 3r d nationally and 34th in the w or ld.

Still challenged by TBI, par alysis in my left leg and double-vision that m akes it difficult to focus, par ticular ly w hen r acing, I have m ade gr eat str ides. I?m now only on thr ee m edications and I have becom e an elite r acer. Skiing w as my w ay of r ehabilitating and getting off of m edications. It show ed other s that people can im pr ove their situation thr ough a good w or k ethic and constant tr aining. M y favor ite saying is tr ain like you?r e the w or st skier in the w or ld and r ace like a cham pion. A lot of people hope to m ake the Par a-Olym pic team . I?m now confident that I can achieve this goal and becom e the best skier in the w or ld. By doing so, I hope to inspir e other s w ith disabilities by show ing them that if a r egular guy like m e can m ake it anybody can m ake it. It?s my hope that by setting the exam ple, other s w ill r ealize that tough tim es don?t last, tough people do.

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Gar y an d t h e Duk e Gar y Hausm an appear ed in one of the top gr ossing m ovies in 1968, ?The Gr een Ber ets?. He w as an extr a and he w ill tell you that even he?s not sur e w hich soldier he is in the m ovie. It?s the scene w her e the par atr ooper s ar e hooking up to jum p out of the plane, and it is har d to tell w ho is w ho. Definitely the highlight of that exper ience though w as spending tim e w ith John Wayne.

plane door opened, he w as assigned to a r econ unit w ith the 101st Air Cavalr y Division, 2nd Battalion of the 502nd Infantr y Division. This w as the star t of m ovem ents to base cam ps and field assignm ents all over Vietnam and Cam bodia via Hueys. As his unit set up obser vation points, they w ould be out in the field at tim es for a m onth.

After basic and advance tr aining, Gar y w as off to Ft. Benning to becom e a par atr ooper. It w as dur ing a jum p they w er e told it w as going to be film ed. Once they landed and had tur ned in their chutes, they w er e invited over to som e tables set up w ith a buffet. The Duke appear ed and asked if he could buy them a cup of coffee. ?It w as a w onder ful exper ience.?, Gar y said. ?He sat dow n w ith us and kept asking questions, w anting to know all about us. He loved soldier s and w as ver y patr iotic.? Gar y w ouldn?t see the m ovie until year s later.

Gar y w as oper ated on at a field hospital in Vietnam that saved his life but left him cr ippled.

He then spent a m onth in Japan and then the next year at Fitzsim ons. Upon ar r iving at Buckley and taken off the plane in a gur ney, he w as spat on by pr otester s and told he deser ved to be injur ed. Told by doctor s that he w ould never w alk again, he w as deter m ined to over com e that pr ognosis and did. Each M ar ch 10th he celebr ates being alive.

Gar y fought in The stor y of how num er ous battles Gar y becam e a and fir e fights. It par atr ooper w as dur ing the began in college.

Tet Offensive at Gr ow ing up in Phu Bai that he Loveland, he w as fought his last a star athlete w ho one. His unit w as letter ed all four am bushed by year s in tr ack NVA and he w as and football. This sever ely ear ned him a w ounded, w ith a scholar ship to br oken skull and M esa College shr apnel w ounds w her e he letter ed all over his body. his fr eshm an Being pinned year. That dow n and near ly sum m er he br oke over r un, his ankle and w as r einfor cem ents unable to and gunships com pete. Unable finally ar r ived to secur e a and Gar y could w aiver for be m edivaced Ga r y Hausma n & John Wayne 'The Duke' tuition, he had to out. The dead w er e dr op out. A m onth put on the deck later his dr aft notice appear ed. W ith a deep love and the w ounded on top of them . The helicopter for this countr y, he chose to ser ve r ather than w as for ced to pitch steeply left on takeoff and they dodge the dr aft. alm ost slid out the open door.

Fr om jum p school and after volunteer ing for ever y school available, Gar y depar ted for Vietnam . Ar r iving in Cam er on Bay and exper iencing the blast of heavy heat w hen the

Gar y?s ser vice left him w ith lifelong handicaps, a TBI, and PTSD, yet he says he feels gr ateful and honor ed to have ser ved our countr y. I w ish John Wayne could have m et him again, as I am cer tain that he w ould have looked at him w ith gr eat r espect for his ser vice and sacr ifice, m uch as I do.

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By: M a r y Scott, M SW , Loss & Tr auma Consulta nt Hea r t Sca r s 6, Lovela nd, CO

LOVE an d CHOI CE Love: One of the m ost sought-after things in hum an existence? r ight up ther e w ith pow er and m oney? but oddly one of the har dest to find and to keep.

Car ing, com passion, r espect? for other s and for our selves: all ar e for m s of love, all vital. So w hy is love often so har d to hold? Ar e w e thinking about it all w r ong?

Lately I?ve been w or king on seeing love as a choice: a joy I can possess that?s not dependent on any per son or thing. But to do that, I m ust think about love ver y, ver y differ ently.

W ith his ?70s hit ?Love is a Drug?, Roxy M usic?s lead singer Br yan Fer r y m ade those w or ds fr om Andy M acKay fam ous. W ithout the ?dr ug?, w e exper ience w ithdr aw al; and w hen w e ?lose? it (to death, decision or r ejection), that can be cr ushing? for som e, even cause to give up entir ely. And w hen w e believe w e lack love or have lost it, our gr ief, anger and r egr et can pr oduce som e pr etty w eir d thoughts like: ?God?s punishing m e?; ?I?m unlovable?; or ?I?m just bad at love?. But how true is that?

Love and loss can steal per spective. We can even begin to long for things our loved one did or didn?t do that used to annoy the heck out of us: pr ying food out of back teeth, leaving a half-eaten banana to r ot, ignor ing that pile of clothes w e tr ipped over r epeatedly? Oh, if only to w itness those habits again! Even our sense of hum or can disappear com pletely, until it suddenly daw ns on us w e better be tur ning on the com edy or get som eone to boot us in the ar se and r ejoin the living.

can elicit var ying levels of anxiety (?Oh I can?t for get that!). Or m aybe you block out com m er cialized stuff com pletely, like dr iving past flattened r oadside fauna so offensive you r efuse to take in the details. Or you just despise ?m ade-up? holidays? although Hallm ar k didn?t invent this one! (Check out w w w.histor y.com /topics/valentines-day.) Per haps som e of you believe you r eally have no one? w hich m akes m e w ant to dr op hundr eds of valentines on your door step. But being ?alone? doesn?t m ean w e?r e void of love: it?s alr eady par t of us, and it?s our choice to tap it or not. \ W hile this m onth som e solitar y folks m ight happily lay back w ith Netflix or sadly dr ow n sor r ow s in pints of beer or ice cr eam , countless couples, fam ilies and kids w ill be like w or ker bees on honey? pr epar ing car ds and gifts to ensur e their r ecipients know they?r e cher ished and appr eciated.

How w ill you choose to see love? As an em pty cup or lost tr easur e? Or as vital life-blood to pour fr eely into other s?cups and into your ow n?

Ther e?s no r ight answ er. The point is we all have the freedom to give and receive caring, respect and compassion any day. It?s both a selfless and self-loving choice to m ake, no m atter w hat!

How w e think affects the w ay w e feel. How w e feel affects the w ay w e show up in life. And how w e think and show up alm ost alw ays affects the exper iences w e attract, ?good? or ?bad?. So w hen w e change how w e think, w e change alm ost anything (e.g., ?Life is Beautiful?, an inspir ing m ovie about a W W II Nazi cam p).

Want to look at ?love? in a w hole new w ay?

Valentine?s Day Febr uar y 14th m ight be your oppor tunity. W ith pink n?r ed displays and candy boxes shouting fr om dr ugstor e shelves, this day 10

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M ary Scott, Heart Scars 6 M aryscottretreats@gmail.com (970) 449-3665 Remember and Honor

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Cal l i n g al l Wel d Cou n t y Vet er an s

News Brief

A new veter ans br eakfast is getting star ted in Gr eeley, m odeled after the successful and enjoyable Pamvets (Pr oud Am er ican Vet) br eakfast in Loveland. The beauty of the Pamvets br eakfast is that ther e ar e no r ules, r equir em ents, com m itm ents or dues. It is just a setting w her e veter ans can com e to shar e conver sation, laughs, infor m ation, and cam ar ader ie over br eakfast. The br eakfast is scheduled for Satur day, Febr uar y 8th at 0730 at the Golden Cor r al, 3530 23r d Ave. Gr eeley 80631. It is an all-you-can-eat style buffet and the cost of br eakfast is your only expense.

CSU Does I t Agai n Color ado State Univer sity continues to gar ner national accolades for their effor ts sur r ounding student veter ans. At the Student Veter ans of Am er ica (SVA) national convention held in Los Angeles Januar y 3r d, CSU?s Student Veter an Or ganization w as selected as the num ber one chapter in the nation! They w on top honor s fr om a gr oup of five finalists.

The SVA or ganization itself is m ade up of 1500 on-cam pus chapter s in all 50 states and four countr ies, r epr esenting 750,000 students. SVA is the 3r d lar gest m ilitar y or ganization in the nation. Congr ats CSU?s SVO!!!

Am er i can Legi on Au x i l i ar y For m or e than 2 ½ year s the Am er ican Legion Auxiliar y Unit 1879 collected and then pour ed over near ly 90 ALA fundr aising cookbooks fr om the last 100 year s. Fr om that, they selected, taste tested, and m oder nized w or ding to w hittle ever ything dow n to 220 r ecipes. These r ecipes, along w ith inter esting stor ies of the par ticular tim e per iod of these r ecipes, have been com piled into a lim ited edition cookbook . The book is a fundr aiser for veter an w ellness pr ogr am s. Ther e w as a typo in the contact infor m ation to or der the book in the Decem ber issue, so her e it is again: Em ail them at ALA1879CSU@gm ail.com or call 970-430-0739.

Union Colony M a r ine Deta chment 1093 pr esent a check to Childr en?s Hospita l?s M edica l Dogs Pr ogr a m (photo by Ca r la Ja cobsen)

All Amer ica n Beef Batta lion, Rocky M tn. Tea m ser ving Chr istma s dinner to deploying per sonnel a nd their fa milies at Buckley Air Ba se (photo by Chr istopher Tone)

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Fi n di n g Heal i n g an d Peace W i t h Yoga

By Kelly Wulf The near ly tw o decades of Post-9/11 conflict ar ound the globe has left m uch destr uction in its w ake. We m ay never be able to fully gr asp the toll taken by the lives lost, the br oken m inds and bodies, and the fam ilies shatter ed.

That doesn't m ean, how ever , that ther e ar e no positives to be found. Per haps in par t due to lear ning lessons fr om how w e r eintegr ated veter ans of past w ar s, or in par t due to m oder n technology and m edia m aking the w ar s ? and the fam ilies ser ving in them ? m or e accessible and visible to us, w e have left no stone untur ned in our attem pts to help heal those w ho have sacr ificed so m uch. Fr om m edical advances in tr eating br ain injur ies to technological gr ow th building im pr oved pr osthetics, to the explor ation of alter native ther apies for m er ly consider ed fr inge, the options available to veter ans, their fam ilies, and those w ho car e for them have never been vaster.

For exam ple, can you im agine veter ans of W W II, Kor ea, or even Vietnam com ing hom e and tur ning to yoga in sear ch of healing and peace? It doesn't seem ver y easy to pictur e. Yet, that is happening m or e and m or e all over the countr y, now her e m or e so than r ight her e in Color ado.

Lives ar e saved, and fam ilies r ebuilt one br eath-fueled postur e at a tim e by Com eback Yoga, a 501(c)3 non-pr ofit deliver ing fr ee yoga classes to veter ans, active-duty m ilitar y, their loved ones, and doctor s. Founded in 2014, Com eback Yoga also pr ovides r elevant m aster

teacher tr aining for its teacher s to enable them to offer yoga classes best suited to the m ilitar y com m unity, as w ell as scholar ships for Yoga Teacher Tr aining to veter ans w ho ar e inter ested in becom ing yoga teacher s them selves.

Accor ding to 2019 sur vey data, Com eback Yoga students attr ibute im pr ovem ent of their w or st physical sym ptom s, such as pain and m obility lim itations, as w ell as their w or st em otional sym ptom s, such as anxiety and depr ession, to taking Com eback Yoga classes. As if that w er en't enough, students also r epor t taking less pr escr iption m edication, sleeping better , and an over all im pr ovem ent in their quality of life.

Com eback Yoga cur r ently offer s 55 fr ee classes ever y w eek thr oughout Color ado and Wyom ing, m ost of w hich ar e held not at yoga studios, but VFWs, VA clinics and hospitals, and on DOD installations.

You don't need yoga pants or pr ayer beads. You don't need to know w hat a chakr a is. Just com e m ove and br eathe w ith your fellow m em ber s of the m ilitar y and veter an com m unity, and w e pr om ise you w on't leave feeling w or se than w hen you ar r ived. You never know , you m ight have the tr ajector y of the r est of your life for ever changed for the better. Nam aste, my fr iends. See you on your m ats.

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Note: Class times and locations can be found on the calendar page Remember and Honor 12

Col d War Rem n an t s

The 'City of For t Collins' M issile

In the 50?s and 60?s the Cold War r am ped up, br inging w ith it the nuclear ar m s r ace. This all in tur n pr om pted the installation of nine Atlas E M issile silos in Color ado and Wyom ing.

Contr olled by FE War r en Air For ce Base up in Cheyenne, five of those sites w er e her e in nor ther n Color ado.

The tw o near est sites w er e one just outside Bellevue and one w est of Gr eeley. Both w er e built in 1961 and consisted of tw o under gr ound bunker s, the m issile launch and the launch oper ations center. The m issile w ould lay hor izontal and w hen tim e to be launched, the r oof cam e off and the m issile w as r aised ver tically. Both sites w er e deactivated in 1965 w hen the M inutem an M issile m ade the Atlas obsolete.

The site nor th of For t Collins is thr ee and a half m iles outside Bellevue. An inter esting tidbit about this site is it housed a m issile nam ed, ?City of For t Collins?. On its w ay to the site, the Air For ce stopped for a per iod of tim e in dow ntow n For t Collins so people could com e out to see the m issile. The site is now used for com m er cial stor age.

The site w est of Gr eeley is located r ight off the old Highw ay 257 spur on the bluffs over looking W indsor. It is now called M issile Silo Par k and ow ned by Weld County. Tour s ar e offer ed of the facility. One inter esting fact told on the tour ?

Ther e?s enough concr ete in the sites to pour a standar d sidew alk fr om Gr eeley to Salt Lake City!

Tour s at M issile Silo Par k ar e fr ee and take about 30-45 m inutes. Tour s m ust be scheduled M onday thr ough Fr iday fr om 7:00 AM until 3:30 PM by calling M issile Site Par k Car etaker (970) 373-8140.

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New VA Cl i n i c Pl an n ed f or NoCo

Ar tist Render ing of the Lovela nd 'Super ' VA Clinic

Plans w er e announced in Decem ber to build a new 75,625 sq. ft. ?Super ? VA Clinic in Loveland. Constr uction is set to star t this sum m er and pr ojected to be com pleted in Decem ber of 2022.

Accor ding to VA spokesm an Sam House, the new facility w ill be double the size of both the pr esent Loveland and For t Collins clinics com bined. It w ill offer such ser vices as x-r ay and dental car e w hich the pr esent clinics don?t pr ovide. It w ill ser ve up to 200 patients a day.

The site of the new clinic is nor th of Cr ossr oads Blvd at 4875 Byr d Dr ive. To give you bear ing, it is just southeast of the N. Color ado Regional Air por t and nor th of the Thunder M ountain com plex.

Budget for the pr oject is $16 m illion and the facility w ill em ployee 200 staff m em ber s.

Once com pleted, the For t Collins clinic w ill close.

Pr esently m or e than half of the patients ser ved in the Cheyenne VA Healthcar e System ar ea com e fr om nor ther n Color ado.

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Location of the New Lovela nd VS Clinic

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Ja n. 5th Cer emony. Seated (l-r ) Ja ck Kemper , Da r r ell Viegut, John Bela ir , a nd Glor ia Atteber r y. Ba ck r ow (l-r ) M a r k Goodell, Cr a ig Goodell?s son a ccepting posthumously, a nd Fa r r ell Spencer .

Honor ing thr ee gener ations: Ca r ie Stubblefield- Auda s posthumously for her late father Rober t Stubblefield, W illa r d Auda s US Ar my Gr ena da , a nd their daughter Cier r a Pfeiffer US Ar my pr esently ser ving.

Gr a ndfather Lee Ander son, W W I I , a nd gr a ndson Jer emy Jir on, Gulf Wa r .

A specia l cer emony on December 7th, honor ing six W W I I veter a ns a nd one Gulf Wa r veter a n. (l-r ) M a l M iddleswor th, Philip Da ily, Elmer ?Lucky? M cGinty, Cha r lie Hoffma n, W illia m Way, LeM oyne ?Lee? Ander son, a nd Jer emy Jir on.

Home visit to Navy veter a n La r r y Fr isbee.

Pr esentation to W W I I veter a n Dwight Ghent at his 97th bir thday pa r ty

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On the Lighter Side

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Dialogue and Feedback Yes, Noa h ?Yes, Noah, I w ent to Afghanistan.?

Ther e is a tenacious quality to the cur iosity of a four teen-year -old boy. ?Did you car r y a gun?? ?Yes, Noah, I car r ied a w eapon.?

The sam e question alw ays pr esents itself. ?Did you kill anyone??

It r em inds m e of fir ing a w eapon w ithout ear pr otection. The noise, har sh and abating. The distinct blast. The r elentless and linger ing r inging. ?No, Noah, not that I know.? ?So you didn?t kill anyone??

We becom e so accustom ed to the deadened sounds fr om behind the foam filter fixed in our ear s. We for get that w ithout that filter , the sound is painfully fam iliar , an audible r em inder of our actions. ?But you fir ed your gun at som eone though, r ight??

I can?t help but w onder , ar e these the unfilter ed thoughts that lie behind ever y, ?Thank you for your ser vice?? Does ever y civilian w ant to pull the tr igger ? ?Yes, Noah, I fir ed my w eapon.?

Do they know the tr uth of the blast?

Ar e they aw ar e of the linger ing r ing?

Ross Atkinson is a U.S. Ar my veter an fr om Las Vegas, Nevada w ho ser ved four year s and w ho deployed to Afghanistan in suppor t of Oper ation Endur ing Fr eedom w ith the 86th Expeditionar y Signal Battalion fr om 2010-2011. Ross has a degr ee in secondar y English Education fr om the Univer sity of Nevada, Las Vegas, a m aster ?s degr ee in English at Color ado State Univer sity, an pur suing a Ph.D. in CSU?s School of Education and per for m ing r esear ch into ear ly college high school outcom es, veter an r eintegr ation, and asset-based pedagogies for student-veter ans. (Ross is taking par t in the Veter an Wr iting Wor kshop. Please see the calendar page to lear n m or e about the w or kshop.)

Ross Atkinson

9/11 Tribute

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Veteran Owned Businesses AUTOM OTIVE Christian Bros. Automotive 6601 29th St., Greeley, CO (970) 795-2277 CBAC.com/Greeley BREWERY Sparge Brewing 3999 GW Bush Ave, Unit 101 Wellington, CO 80549 www.spargebrew.com Instagram.com/SpargeBrew COLLECTIBLE ART Designs by Ricker 6730 N. Franklin Ave. Loveland, CO (970) 593-6950 Norm Oliphant (94 year old WWII veteran) Facebook.com/Norman.Oliphant.3 CUSTOM CNC WOODWORKING Attention to Detail CNC Router Design (2D, 3D & Laser) (970) 691-4979 JFolse@hotmail.com

Tradesmen Remodeling, LLC (970) 631-1607 TradesmenRemodeling@gmail.com TradesmenRemodeling.com

ROOFING Jim Spielman Roofing Professional Roof repair 35+ years experience 970-222-5019

HOUSE STAGING & DESIGN KK Staging and Redesign, Inc. (303) 378-0914 Karla@kkstaging.com KKStaging.com

SENIOR RESOURCES Senior Living Advisors of Colorado Danita Nixon (970) 541-4592 Danita@SLAColo.com SLAColo.com

HVAC American Air Heating and AC Inc. 561 E Garden Dr Unit F Windsor, CO (970) 686-6086 - (970) 686-6087 AmericanAirHeatingCo.com

Charlotte Lutz Owner / Senior Living Advisor Northern Colorado Senior Placement Services, LLC (970) 391-0387 NOCOSeniorPlacementServices.com

LAWYER Casey Alexander 640 E. Eisenhower Blvd., #200 Loveland, CO Phone: (970) 355-3499 Casey_Alexander@hotmail.com NOCOVeteransLaw.com

TRANSLATION SERVICES Yvonne Paez Paez Translation & Lang. Services (970) 204-0212 PaezTranslations.com TRASH BIN CLEANING Residential & Commercial Services

EXCAVATING Barry Barnett (970) 443-1912

M OTORCYCLES American Fender Art 6730 N. Franklin Ave Loveland, CO (907) 593-6950 AmericanFenderArt.net

FLOORING Northern Colorado Carpets 5837 S. College Ave. Fort Collins, CO (970) 226-6800 NorthernColoradoCarpets.com

OUTDOOR EQUIPM ENT REPAIR KD Repair 1261 S. Cleveland Ave. Loveland 970-203-5043 KensRepair@myscritch.com

TRAVEL Humpday Cruises, Inc. (303) 518-0855 HumpdayCruise.com

FOOD & BEVERAGE Snack Attack 120 W. Stuart Fort Collins, CO 970 -825-5989 SnackAttackit.com

PROM OTIONAL PRODUCTS Colorado Promotional Supply 970-663-9498 Sandie@copromosupply.com www.CoPromoSupply.com

YOGA Grace Yoga Nicole Murphy LoveGraceYoga.com (970) 646-2022

HOM E CONSTRUCTION Lance Jones Remodel * Maintenance * Repairs 970-852-4433 Lance@LanceMJones.com

REALTOR James Hagerman (970) 999-2816 JHagerman@C3-RE.com

Bins Bee Clean/ Blue Wave Power Wash Rob Godek (970) 775-3393 BinsBeeClean.com

Ar e you a Vet er an an d ow n a bu si n ess?

Contact us to find out about adding your business to this listing Conta ct Br a d at: 970-631-2027

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A Beautiful 3 acre setting at the west end of Horsetooth Rd in Fort Collins.

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