{"id":2450914,"date":"2019-11-09T22:24:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-10T05:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/veterans-day\/"},"modified":"2019-11-11T08:07:51","modified_gmt":"2019-11-11T15:07:51","slug":"veterans-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/veterans-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Veterans Day\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.7506849315069\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-315785-577\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/veterans-atd-111119-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/veterans-atd-111119-1-1024x686.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Marine Corps veterans and Aspen Elks members Bob Cook, left, and Fred Venrick pose for a portrait in the Elks Lodge on Thursday, November 7, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13\">\n<p><strong>Marine Corps veterans and Aspen Elks members Bob Cook, left, and Fred Venrick pose for a portrait in the Elks Lodge on Thursday, November 7, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/veterans-atd-111119-1-1024x686.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Marine Corps veterans and Aspen Elks members Bob Cook, left, and Fred Venrick pose for a portrait in the Elks Lodge on Thursday, November 7, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/veterans-atd-111119-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/veterans-atd-111119-1-1-1024x667.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | A POW MIA flag is draped over a pedestal waiting to be hung in the Aspen Elks Lodge on Thursday, November 7, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>A POW MIA flag is draped over a pedestal waiting to be hung in the Aspen Elks Lodge on Thursday, November 7, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/veterans-atd-111119-1-1-1024x667.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"A POW MIA flag is draped over a pedestal waiting to be hung in the Aspen Elks Lodge on Thursday, November 7, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/veterans-atd-111119-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/veterans-atd-111119-1-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | The Veterans Services Committee meet in the Elks Lodge in Aspen on Thursday, November 7, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>The Veterans Services Committee meet in the Elks Lodge in Aspen on Thursday, November 7, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/veterans-atd-111119-1-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"The Veterans Services Committee meet in the Elks Lodge in Aspen on Thursday, November 7, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/veterans-atd-111119-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/veterans-atd-111119-1-3-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | The Veterans Services Committee meet in the Elks Lodge in Aspen on Thursday, November 7, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>The Veterans Services Committee meet in the Elks Lodge in Aspen on Thursday, November 7, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/veterans-atd-111119-1-3-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"The Veterans Services Committee meet in the Elks Lodge in Aspen on Thursday, November 7, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/veterans-day\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/veterans-day\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">Of the thousands of flights that take off from and land at the Denver International Airport, there was one in late October that was quite unlike the rest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As the plane neared touchdown to the Mile High City, its flight attendants had an important question for 29 passengers: What did they miss most about their daily lives while serving in the military?<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Each of the World War II, Vietnam War and Korean War veterans gave a variety of different responses. When asked if they missed \u201cmail calls\u201d and hearing from their loved ones, most said yes, they never felt like they received enough mail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">And with that response, the flight attendants got on the loud speaker, announced a mail call and handed each veteran a large, manila envelope of letters, photos and drawings from both family members and complete strangers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cEvery single soldier got a piece of mail from their children, grandchildren and all sorts of people telling them how thankful they were for what they did,\u201d recalled Mark Lee, a longtime Aspen local and Aspen Elks Lodge No. 224 member who was on the flight. \u201cJust seeing the looks on those guys\u2019 faces and the tears, it just blew me away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The plane mail call was one of the most memorable experiences Lee highlighted as he looked back on the recent Rocky Mountain Honor Flight he served on as a guardian, or volunteer, in late October.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For three full days, Lee and over two dozen other guardians accompanied 29 veterans on a trip to tour the country\u2019s national monuments and war memorials in Washington D.C., including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cJust the cheers you would hear from all around you and the smiles you\u2019d see on the veterans\u2019 faces, especially the Vietnam vets, was special,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThey would say, \u2018You know, I\u2019ve never been appreciated since I\u2019ve been home from \u2019Nam. \u2026 The honor flights are all about giving them respect for what they did to fight for our country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Now, just a few weeks post-honor flight, Lee and his wife, Karen Carner, are working with support from the Aspen Elks to pursue a similar honor flight program for Vietnam War veterans living in the Roaring Fork Valley and surrounding communities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Lee said he is not a veteran, but his wife\u2019s late husband served in Vietnam and died by suicide, which sparked Lee to want to do more for the nation\u2019s military officers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI\u2019ve always had a big place in my heart for the vets but when we got together we really decided we\u2019ve got to do more to support veterans and stop the suicides in this country,\u201d Lee said of his and his wife\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">BRINGING IT HOME<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For Lee and Carner, giving back to local veterans stems from the Aspen Elks Lodge, which they are both active members of.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The lodge is one of 2,000 in the country\u2019s Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, a fraternal organization founded over 141 years ago to promote charity, patriotism and community, and was established in Aspen in 1891.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But while Lee described his plans to meet with the Denver-based Rocky Mountain Honor Flight nonprofit leaders next month and start the process of organizing a similar cross-country program out of Aspen, he also highlighted some of the other local Elks Lodge programs both in place and in the works that are aimed at supporting veterans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">From helping organize one of the largest winter sports clinics for disabled vets of its kind in the world, to recently starting up a care package program for deployed military officers from Colorado, the lodge is working to ensure active and retired military and their families feel honored and supported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cOne of our mission statements is \u2018Every day is Veterans Day for the Aspen Elks.\u2019 When their service ends, ours begins,\u201d said Fred Venrick, longtime Aspen Elk and veteran services leader.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, an annual five-day adaptive recreation and rehabilitation experience in Aspen-Snowmass sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Disabled American Veterans, is definitely the Elks\u2019 longest-running effort to give back to veterans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Last year, Venrick and Bob Cook, the Aspen Elk who oversees the winter sports clinic, said the local Elks helped serve roughly 400 veterans and their families more than 2,600 lunches, working alongside other area volunteers for over 4,000 hours to put on the winter sports clinic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But despite the Aspen Elks\u2019 efforts with the clinic and proclaimed focus on patriotism since their establishment, its current Veterans Services Committee has only just recently focused on doing more for local military.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAbout three years ago, we decided we needed to do more, that we could do a lot more because we felt the talent in our lodge is just amazing,\u201d Venrick said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On a recent morning over breakfast at Hickory House, Venrick and Cook talked about their Veterans Services Committee efforts to create an all-women\u2019s subcommittee, and to start up local programs similar to Rocky Mountain Honor Flights and Pets for Vets, a national nonprofit that pairs rescue dogs with vets in need of a service companion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">According to the two U.S. Marine Corps veterans, there are roughly 8,000 of their peers living in the Colorado Elks Association\u2019s Mountain District, which includes Aspen, Craig, Glenwood Springs, Gunnison, Leadville, Rangely, Rifle, Salida and Summit County. The duo feels many of these veterans have been overlooked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">MATCHING VETS WITH SERVICES<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Yet, the Elks aren\u2019t the only ones working to support Aspen area veterans. According to Brian Littlejohn, veteran services officer for Pitkin County, there are a lot of local groups who donate funds or provide services to help military and their families.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cOne of my challenges in this role is to figure out who all of the different entities are and the services they offer for veterans,\u201d Littlejohn said. \u201cIt\u2019s really encouraging to see how much the community wants to help out \u2026 and the Elks seem really motivated to help veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Littlejohn said Pitkin County Veterans Services mainly works to connect resident veterans with the resources they need, which isn\u2019t always easy. There aren\u2019t a lot of medical services for veterans in the valley, and it can be expensive for them, like anyone else, to find a way to live here, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">However, with the help of nonprofits like the Elks, Littlejohn feels confident in being able to help area veterans who may slip through the cracks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cLike any rural community in Colorado, this can be a tough place to be,\u201d Littlejohn said, \u201cbut the silver lining is there are a lot of people who care and are willing to help in any way they can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Cook and Venrick are two of those people, and both hope the Elks\u2019 ability specifically to support vets continues to grow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In the near future, the lodge will host its annual Veterans Day luncheon Monday, and plans to send about 50 care packages to Colorado National Guard members serving in Afghanistan before Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">With help from its members, Cook and Venrick said they feel their local lodge is up for meeting the needs of Aspen-area veterans and active military, and for fulfilling its original mission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHelping children and vets, that\u2019s just what we do as Elks,\u201d Cook said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe were built to take care of veterans,\u201d Venrick added. \u201cSo as long as there are veterans, we\u2019ll take care of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:mvincent@aspentimes.com\">mvincent@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/veterans-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marine Corps veterans and Aspen Elks members Bob Cook, left, and Fred Venrick pose for a portrait in the Elks Lodge on Thursday, November 7, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times A POW MIA flag is draped over a pedestal waiting to be hung in the Aspen Elks Lodge on Thursday, November 7, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2450914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-19 07:23:11","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2450914"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2450953,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450914\/revisions\/2450953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2450914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2450914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2450914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}