mdp 11 10 13 veterans day

A Tribute to our

Veterans

November 10, 2013

A special section of the

2 November 10, 2013 A Tribute to Veterans

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Daily Press Staff

Francis Wick

EditorialJustin JoinerNate WickKatharhynn Heidelberg Nathan Meacham

DesignShaun Gibson

AdvertisingDennis AndersonJanine BushHeidi GofforthRebecca Kelln

Publisher

Managing EditorPhotographerSenior Staff WriterStaff Writer

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Veterans Day has always held sig-nifi cant meaning for me.

My father was a career military man who served in the U.S. Army for more than 21 years, while I

served in the Army for three years. My father passed away from lung cancer

this past April 30 after a lifetime of smoking caught up with him. He was 73.

Although my parents have fi ve children, Veterans Day was one thing I had in common with my father that my siblings did not — I was the only one who served in the military, following in his footsteps. I would call Dad every Nov. 11 to let him know I was thinking about him, and wish him a happy Veterans Day. He would say: “Thanks, and the same to you.”

Veterans Day as we know it began after World War I, when in November of 1919, President Woodrow Wilson declared that Nov. 11 would be the day that the nation would pause and recognize our veterans who have served this great nation.

There are many sacrifi ces that these fi ne folks have made, and some have paid the ultimate price, laying down their lives to pro-tect what we all hold dear, so that our pursuit of life, liberty and happiness goes uninter-rupted.

There is another group that I would like to thank as well: the families of military person-nel. I know fi rsthand that without their love and support it would be very diffi cult to make the decision to fi rst join and then unselfi shly serve.

My mother spent more than 20 years of her life with the stress of being married to a military man, and then having her son leave home for the military as well. The image of my mother jumping up and down, clapping and smiling as I got off of the bus after an 18-month tour in Germany is one I will never forget. My father provided for us and sup-ported my mother when he was home in any discipline that we needed but my mother was there to always pick up the pieces when we were having a bad day, or hug us and let us know how proud she was of us when we were having a good day. My father told me later after her passing: “I don’t know how she did it. She took care of so much for us.” There were times in those years that I would get up in the middle of the night to fi nd her at our dining room table in tears, for one reason or another, but mostly because of the stress of raising fi ve kids on her own, most of the time. My parents loved each other very much, but sometimes the stress overwhelmed her.

At my father’s graveside service I was pre-

sented the folded fl ag from the honor guard and my grief turned to thoughts of all of those family members who before me had sat in a chair and were presented with a folded fl ag of the United States of America. They heard the same words as I did: “This fl ag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation and the United States Army as a token of appreciation for your loved one’s honorable and faithful ser-vice.”

I thought about those who grieved the deaths of loved ones who were taken from them much too early in their lives. As my fa-ther’s brother told me after his passing, death is much harder on the living. These families carry this loss with them to the end and it was an incredible sense of honor that I was receiv-ing the same respect given to them.

As my father said to me when he was di-agnosed with cancer: “There is nothing to be sad about, this is not a tragedy. I have lived a full life. The tragedy is when someone departs this world much too young.”

“Honor, duty and country!” Please join me on this day and be thankful for those who have served and those who have served in the shadows of our nation’s heroes. ●

Dennis AndersonAdvertising director of the Montrose Daily

Honor, duty and country By Dennis Anderson | Daily Press Advertising Director


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Veterans Day may only take place on Monday, but local support will last throughout the weekend around the valley. Welcome Home

Montrose is supporting, hosting or receiving donations from four different events around town.

Events include:- Dream Catcher Therapy Center is hosting its annual Denim and Dia-monds Casino Night fundraiser Saturday night from 6-10 p.m. at the Montrose Elks Lodge. The night will include a live and silent auction, dancing to the Ghost River Band, a cash bar and food. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door. Visit the website at dctc.org or call 323-5400 for more information. -The Eagle’s Wings Wellness and Fitness Center will host a Veterans Day memorial service and open house at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the center, 117 Ponderosa Drive in Ridgway. Donations given will ben-efi t Service for Humanity Foundation. Call 626-9940 or email [email protected] for more information.- Welcome Home Montrose and The Warrior Resource Center have big plans to honor those who have fought for our nation’s freedom. On Nov. 11, volunteers will gather at 6:30 a.m. to begin placing the next round of Let Freedom Ring chimes, hand-created by a dozen volun-teers as a gift to the community, in 100 locations around Montrose. Those who fi nd one of the chimes can choose to recognize a local veteran by hanging the Let Freedom Ring chime at their home or business, or by sharing it as a personal gift. A line is provided on the card for your signature. The cost of the chimes has been generously and anonymously underwritten by several local business owners.- In honor of Veterans Day, Telluride’s Ausitn Hiett American Legion Post No. 12, and the Telluride Elks Lodge Pose No. 692 will host its annual Veterans Day Dinner on Monday, Nov. 11, at the historic Swede Finn Hall at 472 West Pacifi c Ave. at 6 p.m. Complimentary dinners and free beer will be provided for all veterans. For more infor-mation contact Brian Ahern at 708-1596 and to R.S.V.P. for the event contact Ben at 708-8123.- Remington’s Retaurant and The Liquor Store are hosting A Veterans Tribute, Scotch and “Seegar” event on Nov. 14 from 6-9 p.m. at Rem-ington’s. Tickets are $49 for the general public and $44 for Bridges members. A percentage of the proceeds will go to benefi t “Welcome Home Montrose.” Call 252-1119 ext. 120 for reservations by Nov. 13.-A free breakfast for veterans will be held at the Elks Lodge, 801 S. Hillcrest from 7-10 a.m. Nov. 11. Other guests may come to the break-fast for $1.50.-Montrose Bank hosts a Veterans Day cookout at 200 N. Townsend Ave. from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 11. For more information, call 249-3408.

In honor of Veterans Day, please join Bank of Colorado in thanking our nation’s heroes for their bravery and unwavering service.

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Staff


Joining the military is far from a foreign concept in the Hoover family.Marvin Sr. served for more than 21 years, including a tour in Viet-

nam, and his wife, Helena, served two years in the Navy. Their sons Marvin Jr. and Dwayne had no problem following in their foot steps.

Both brothers started their service straight out of high school but ex-actly two years apart, Marvin in January 1985 and Dwayne in January 1987, and the two left the service within a few months of each other in 1991.

For Marvin, joining the Navy out of high school was on his mind when he joined the ROTC in middle school, but Dwayne only knew he didn’t want to be on a ship.

He fi rst reached out to the Army recruiter, but said he felt they didn’t care whether he joined or not, so he called the Marines.

“Coming from a military family, I didn’t think it was something I had to do,” Dwayne said. “I wanted to do my own thing. I fi gured the Marines would be the toughest.”

The two were accustomed to traveling before their father left the mili-tary and the family settled in Montrose. Both had done some traveling after enlisting, including trips to Japan, but neither was expecting the call they would receive in 1990.

Dwayne was traveling up the Pacifi c coast for the Goodwill Games in Seattle when Iraq invaded Kuwait. His unit was sent to Saudi Arabia in September 1990.

“That was totally unexpected,” he said.Marvin was stationed and going to school at Lowry Air Force Base

in Denver when was sent the orders that one of six names would be picked to go to Bahrain. His was the name chosen, and he left in De-cember 1990.

“When the orders came across I think I was gone in three weeks,” he said.

Marvin and Dwayne were stationed in vastly different areas while overseas. Marvin worked with a ship repair unit, where he coordinated repairs to ships that went over water mines. Dwayne was stationed 20 miles from the Kuwait border, where he was a courier that drove orders from base camp to forward camps in a Humvee.

“This was all prior to the Internet,” he said. “Everything was done through paperwork.”

Dwayne said he had never been in such an isolated place before, es-pecially in a desert so hot that he started sweating at fi ve in the morning. He arrived before the area was secure and remembers driving around at 21 years old with M16s mounted on the Humvees and at the entrances of different bases.

“It was something a lot of people can’t even imagine,” he said.Dwayne returned home in April 1991, arriving at night and marching

out to a large crowd.“I felt good,” he said. “I felt proud like I did something worthwhile. The

whole reason we join the military is to have those moments.”It took 30 days to process his fi nal paper work and he was out of the

service a month after returning from Saudi Arabia.Marvin would return by himself after almost a year in Bahrain and also

left the service shortly after returning home.He said it was strange to learn about the increased military presence

in the area after leaving the service.“They vamped it up even harder than it was when we were there,” he

said.Dwayne said he didn’t watch any of the footage on the news after

returning home.“We still felt like we should have stayed and fi nished the job,” he said.

“It felt like it should have been us over there taking care of business before we came back. I didn’t distance myself from it but I downplayed it a bit.” ●

Service nothing new to Hoover family

Marvin T. Hoover

Dwayne P. Hoover

By Nathan Meacham | Daily Press Staff Writer


Biernacki-Purvis still loves her service

Tricia Biernacki-Purvis is happy she had her mother when she was 18 years old.

She had been accepted to an out-of-state college to study physical therapy, but her mother dragged her by the ear to the recruiting offi ce in 1988.

“I was not ready,” Biernacki-Purvis said about college. “Thank God for my mother. She had an insight and pretty much said ‘You’re doing this.’”

She enlisted as a corpsman in the Navy and was attached with the Marines. Again, thanks to her mother, military life wasn’t too much of a surprise, even at 5-feet-1-inch tall and 110 pounds.

Biernacki-Purvis said she believes her mother was a drill instructor in a past life and said she even used to have her children tape quarters to the back of their IDs in case they needed to make a phone call.

“She was just that way,” she said.Then, a few days before Thanksgiving in 1991, she received the call

to serve in the First Gulf War. She was sent to Manamah, Bahrain, where she worked in the neurosurgery ward and helped patients who were injured working on the ship.

“I love anything emergency medicine,” she said.The ward was never too busy, but Biernacki-Purvis said they knew

that could change.

“We didn’t know what to expect once the ground war started,” she said.

After six months in the hospital, Biernacki-Purvis volunteered to stay and blow up ammunition dumps. The new job came with new dangers, and her chemical alarm was going off all the time.

She returned after eight months overseas, which was her fi rst trip out of the United States, and said she loved every minute of her service.

“I still love it,” she said. “I still absolutely love everything I’ve learned.”Some of the military life made it home for Biernacki-Purvis. She had

two children, both boys and developed a preferred method of punish-ment.

“I didn’t ground them,” she said. “It was easier just to have them do pushups.”

The medical skills she learned with the Marines have also helped her in her civilian life. Her oldest son was in a car crash in 2010 and her knowledge allowed her to help him in the hospital and even more when he returned home. He is now 20 and studying pre-med.

Her younger son, now 17, is talking about enlisting like his mother. Her main request is that he joins and learns a useful skill he can use once his service ends.

Biernacki-Purvis moved to Ouray in 2005 and Montrose in 2010, but she will always look fondly on her eight months in a different part of the world.

“I joined because I needed to grow up,” she said. “I got to travel the world at 18.” ●

By Nathan Meacham | Daily Press Staff Writer

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Carving up some appreciationAs Gary Gratton and Bob Hampton talk

about making eagle canes for veterans one thing is apparent – between the intricate detail of the feathers, around the glass eyes, in the bevels and tucked between the engrav-ing is an abounding appreciation.

For just more than a year, Gratton and Hampton and the groups they are involved with have been putting together the canes in the Montrose area. Gratton is part of the Black Canyon Wood Carvers and Hampton is with the Woodworkers Guild of Western Colorado.

But the history of the eagle canes dates much further back than that.

“The cane program actually started right after the Civil War,” Gratton said.

Those were the days long before the depart-ment of Veterans Affairs. Instead neighbors

took on the task of caring for the wounded.“They would carve canes for those who

came back crippled or amputated,” he said.But after a while the tradition of making

canes for veterans died out, Hampton said.Then more than a century later in 2003,

some people in Oklahoma read an article about the tradition and decided to revive it. In the years following it spread across the nation with one group taking on the task in Grand Junction.

But demand for the canes, which can be requested by any veteran, was high and eventually the group in Grand Junction asked for help. That lead to Hampton and Gratton getting their groups invovled.

“Within a year we have had over 100 appli-cations,” Gratton said.

So far 78 canes have been completed – an impressive number considering just carving the eagle-head handle can take about 10 hours. The turning the cane is a faster pro-cess, but still takes an hour and a half and then it still needs fi nish and engraving, Hamp-ton said.

“On a typical cane my time is three to four hours,” Hampton said.

Hampton and Gratton do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to making the canes. Gratton carves the heads, while Hampton turns the canes. There are other members in their groups who help, but they make the bulk of them.

But all the long hours of carving and turn-ing are all worth it when they see faces of the veterans they give the canes to.

By Justin Joiner | Daily Press managing editor

JUSTIN JOINER/DAILY PRESS

Gary Gratton puts in 10 hours of carving into each eagle head handle.


“They are in tears,” Gratton said. “One individual said word for word, ‘This is the fi rst time, I’ve felt appreciated for my service.’”

Gratton said he knows some of the canes will just hang on hooks over a mantle, but that doesn’t mean the veterans are any less proud of it.

Because multiple people work on the canes and eagle heads, each one is unique and showcases the artist’s style. In Gratton’s case, his eagle heads have extra detail for feathers on the neck.

The canes are available to all veterans. Family, or the veter-ans themselves, can stop by the Warrior Resource Center to fi ll out a cane application. Gratton said if family or friends want to apply for a cane on behalf of someone, they can, but there is a variety of information they need about the veteran for the engraving on the side.

Veterans who have purple hearts get an extra ring on their cane to make it distinct. The wood for the ring, fi ttingly called purple heart wood, is special ordered. Hampton buys the purple heart wood and Gratton buys the glass eagle eyes.

Most of cane material is donated, but the two men have dug into their own pockets for items such as the glass eagle eyes and the purple heart wood.

Although the number of places with eagle cane making groups are on the rise, there are only two in the state that Gratton and Hampton are aware of – Montrose and Grand Junction.

Both men said the Warrior Resource Center has been a good fi t for the cane presentation events.

The presentations are held at 1 p.m. the fi rst Thursday of the month at the center. Contact the center at 970-765-2210. ●


The eagle canes are presented to veterans on the fi rst Thursday of each month.


More than 100 applications for eagle canes have been turned in so far.


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Many hands — and minds — came to-gether to win Montrose the coveted “All-

America City” status this summer, but one component of the application to the National Civic League put it over the top.

That was the community’s support for veter-ans, city offi cials said.

“Without the strong veterans component, I don’t think we would have done nearly as well,” said Rob Joseph, assistant city man-ager.

The annual selection of 10 cities nationwide this year centered on veterans, explained Melanie Kline, director of the veterans advo-cacy group Welcome Home Montrose.

Welcome Home Montrose offers a host of support programs for veterans and since its inception here, it has opened the Warrior Resource Center, pushed efforts to create a whitewater park, created a “dream job” intern-ship program for veterans and hosted a week-long “No Barriers” event for disabled veterans.

Kline said City Manager Bill Bell approached her in January with word of the competition and its veteran-based theme. Kline quickly vol-

unteered to be on the application committee, but later learned she had been the only person to reply to Bell.

The application deadline was near.“I decided that we couldn’t not do it. Even

though nobody else had come forward, it’s im-portant for other cities to see what we’re doing for veterans so they can do it too,” she said.

Kline partners included Melanie Hall of the Montrose Community Foundation; Sandy Head of Montrose Economic Development Corp.; City Councilor Carol McDermott; Scott Shine, who was then the Downtown Develop-ment Authority’s director and Bob Brown, who fi lled in after Shine departure until a new DDA director could be hired.

“Welcome Home Montrose was the no-brain-er. It was all about veterans,” Kline said of the civic league’s 2013 theme.

The civic league was also seeking cities that could demonstrate diversity and economic commitment. Montrose’s application team highlighted Welcome Home, but also the DDA and the Intermountain Resources timber mill, the latter with the assistance of Nancy Fisher-

ing.“We thought we couldn’t possibly win, be-

cause most of the communities spend a really long time getting ready,” Kline said.

“All of a sudden, we were notifi ed we were in the fi nals. We got busy.”

Although Joseph gives Kline the credit, she says other people carried the ball. “It was not me and it was not Welcome Home Montrose.”

Kline was part of the group that presented Montrose’s application in Denver, along with Dee Coram and Phuong Nguyen of The Cof-fee Trader and Mayor Judy Ann Files.

The veterans component pushed Montrose’s application to the forefront, Joseph said.

“Their role was huge, particularly Melanie Kline’s. She was absolutely instrumental in putting together a group and being the glue,” he said.

“I believe that without her, this would not have come about.”

He said he could tell by the judge’s reaction to the city’s presentation that Montrose was in the running.

Accolades on the homefront By Katharhynn Heidelberg | Daily Press Staff Writer

Continued on page 12

FILE/DAILY PRESS

Assistant city planner Jennifer Spinelli walks back from the breakroom past a new sign proclaiming Montrose as an All-America City hanging at City Hall earlier this year.


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“When we were in Denver at the event … several judges looked at each other and at us. The basic message was, ‘You are the ex-emplar of an All-America City,” he said.

The city’s detailed application explains what DDA and the timber mill offer to Montrose, plus it pro-vides demographic information.

The WHM section explains the challenges servicemen and women face when returning home from combat and highlights sev-eral projects undertaken since the organization’s inception.

While the Veterans Administra-tion is there to address immediate needs, the vets often need help transitioning into society.

“These veterans need commu-nities that are organized to meet their ongoing needs,” the applica-tion reads. Most veterans return from service to urban settings, where they are easy to overlook and their needs fall through the cracks. Eleven to 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, while an estimated 30 percent of Vietnam veterans have PTSD, the document notes.

The grim toll of U.S. military sui-cides, per the application: 2,293 since 2001.

“…A support structure for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs will be nonexistent or hard to fi nd due to the size and com-plexity of urban society,” the ap-plication goes on to state.

“Upon learning that outdoor recreation was helping heal the physical and emotional wounds

of war, a group in Montrose de-termined to make our city a place where (vets) could share the high quality of life here.”

Welcome Home’s vision is a united, “no barriers” community with jobs, homes, services and recreation for all wounded war-riors.

Projects and services include the Dream Job pilot program that put four medically retired young service members into jobs in Montrose for six months — a sort of “living feasibility study,” per the application.

Welcome Home provided hous-ing through private donations and a mentor to help each vet-eran intern in their “dream job.” In exchange, the four were con-sultants to WHM, assessing the city’s services, infrastructure and opportunities. They were able to reacquaint themselves with the workaday world before proceeding to college on their GI bills.

Other programs highlighted in the application include the Busi-ness Window Sticker program, through which veterans with spe-cially issued WHM dog tags can receive discounts at participating businesses.

“By strengthening our services, identifying and fi lling our gaps, creating programs and removing the barriers in our infrastructure, we are preparing a place for our wounded warriors to visit and hopefully stay,” the application concludes.

When Montrose secured All-America City status, that in turn aided WHM’s efforts and boosted visibility nationwide, Kline said. ●

Continued from page 11

WILL HEARST/DAILY PRESS

Guitarist and veteran Paul Chamberlain, left, Mayor Judy Ann Files and Mayor pro-tem Carol McDermott lead the crowd in song as Montrose celebrates being named an All-America City during Main in Motion earlier this year.

Cisco Martinez, Agent1401 E Main Street, Montrose, CO 81401-5824

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U.S. Air Force Major John Bisch’s sheltered existence ended in 1966, in Southeast

Asia.As a munitions offi cer and pilot, the Mon-

trose veteran dropped bombs onto jungle targets in North and South Vietnam, as well as Laos.

“I was among the privileged few to come back from combat without scars,” Bisch said, as he manned the front desk of Welcome Home Montrose’s Warrior Resource Center, greeting guests.

But combat leaves invisible scars, too, and now the former probation offi cer and profes-sional counselor helps other veterans, as well as working to combat both military and civilian suicides.

“My real interest as a youngster in new Jer-sey was to serve soldiers,” explained Bisch, who served in the military until 1981.

He participates in the “QPR” — Question, persuade, refer — suicide prevention pro-gram offered at the Warrior Resource Center through the Center for Mental Health. Bisch is trained to present training sessions for the program and as part of it, he serves as the veterans’ representative for the Montrose Sui-cide Prevention Coalition.

“QPR is to help people in the community feel less uncomfortable around people who have such pain in their hearts that they would consider suicide,” Bisch said.

QPR is part of the “chain of survival,” includ-ing early recognition of suicide warning signs and asking someone about suicidal thoughts

and feelings in order to open up a conversa-tion that may lead to a referral for help, ac-cording to the QPR Institute.

Early referrals lead to early assessments and appropriate treatment, saving lives that might otherwise be lost to suicide.

Bisch said his experiences were part of a plan that positioned him to help others. During his tours of duties, he saw how the rest of the world suffered and that had a profound effect on him, he said.

“That’s the way my heart helped me ma-ture.”

Bisch was stationed in Georgia as a fl ight instructor in basic jet training upon his return to the States. He had three other assignments before being stationed at the U.S. Air Force Academy and Fort Carson.

“While I was at the Academy, I had time, benefi ts and an interest in extending my education,” he said of his decision to pursue a degree in counseling at the University of Norther Colorado’s extension. “I was eligible, so I went for it.

“I can imagine it was part of a scenario that had been laid out for me because of the way it all unfolded.”

His background also came in handy in his post-military career as a probation offi cer in Travis County, Texas, as his clients were frequently confused and traumatized after emerging from the court system and needed help learning how to cope so they could suc-ceed at probation.

He later became a counselor for the state of

New Mexico.Also, his time spent fl ying helped him stay

focused in general.“The process I learned from my fl ying career

became a way of helping me stay organized and to share the orderly thinking with others,” Bisch said.

It even helped him stay calm when his vehicle crashed on a Christmas Day while he was en route to dinner with friends.

“I was able to watch in slow motion, as if I were in an airplane. ... I smelled for gas and listened for explosions.”

There were none. Bisch was able to crawl from the wreckage

unscathed, fl ag down another motorist and get his friends to collect him. He made it to dinner.

Bisch said his learned discipline and orga-nized thinking served him well in the accident — and continues to help him help others. “It’s what we try to help people recognize in QPR. It requires a little bit of organized thinking in helping people reorganize their thoughts and think outside the box they’ve painted for them-selves,” he said.

Bisch retired from his New Mexico counsel-ing job in 2010, and found out about Welcome Home Montrose this past March.

“I volunteered the fi rst week and I have not left,” he said.

“It’s been a gift to have as many different experiences as I’ve had. I’ve used it to help benefi t everyone, rather than just myself.

“And in the long way, I have satisfi ed my-self.” ●

NATE WICK/DAILY PRESS

Veteran John Bisch points to a picture in a book at the Warrior Resource Center of a jet similar to one he fl ew in Vietnam.

From bombs to a helping hand By Katharhynn Heidelberg | Daily Press Staff Writer


A grieving mother in Tucson, Ariz. probably had no way of knowing how a spin-off of

her project would inspire people in Montrose to honor veterans, here and around the na-tion.

But volunteers at Welcome Home Montrose considered her “Ben’s Bells” commemorative project, and came up with one of their own: wind chimes, to be placed in public places on Veterans Day.

They are not intended to beautify the city, or decorate it. They are intended for people to fi nd, pick up, and give to a veteran as a way of saying thanks.

“We just give them away,” said WHM’s Melanie Kline. “We hang them in public places so that people have a way to thank a veteran.”

Each chime is made of a hand-painted wooden heart, dog tags and, instead of bells, shell-casings from the 21-gun salutes given at veterans’ funerals. Attached are two cards: one, explaining the project and instructing the fi nder to pass the chime along to a veteran and the other a thank-you note to sign and include with the chime when it is gifted.

Welcome Home launched the project this past Memorial Day and the results have ex-ceeded expectations.

“They’re just being distributed on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, but the requests to be able to buy them are coming in every day,” Kline said.

“We’ve only done it once and that was Memorial Day. We’re really excited to do it again.”

At 6:30 a.m. Veterans Day, 10 volunteers will take 10 chimes each and place them throughout town in such places as parks, cemeteries and on trails.

Volunteers began making and assembling the chimes in August, working three mornings a week.

“We do everything,” said volunteer and proj-ect coordinator Linda Granzow.

“We have someone who molds all the hearts. We have volunteers come and do the painting and then we assemble the shell cas-ings with the dog tags. They’re strung on cord and all put together with some shrink-tubing. Every part, we make ourselves.”

It costs about $750 to make and distribute 100 chimes through the town. Granzow said people can help by volunteering at the Warrior Resource Center, or by donating to Welcome Home.

“We’ve had wonderful feedback. (People) really loved it. Last time, within a day, the chimes were gone. People were really excited to fi nd them and they’re looking for them,” said Granzow.

The chime program is popular, and not just locally:

“Now that people know we’re making these, we’re starting to get shell casings from all over the country,” Kline said.

Further, people who discover the chimes don’t just hand them out to Montrose veter-ans, but have gotten them into the hands of vets all over America.

“This is to honor our veterans and those who help our veterans,” said Granzow. “We encourage people when they fi nd one to share it with someone. Just be more aware of veterans in our community.

“This is to say thank you for their service.”●

Wind Chimes for veterans prove popular

By Katharhynn Heidelberg | Daily Press Staff Writer

FILE/DAILY PRESS

Veteran Gary Gratton, left, holds in his hands bullet shells used to make wind chimes and ex-plains how they were aquired to U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet at the Warrior Resource Center earlier this year.


The Montrose County News, sent to all Montrose County servicemen and women

during World War II, was the brainchild of Judge Earl J. Herman, a WWI veteran and a long-time Montrose County judge. He passed away on the day after the fi rst issue was pub-lished, April 18, 1944. The fi nal edition was published in April 1946.

The paper featured news from home, includ-ing Montrose, Olathe and Nucla; The G.I.’s Speak (letters); Gold Star section (listing deaths of servicemen and women); Gloom Chasers (some corny, some “spicy” jokes – a big favorite of the readers); and Service News. It was compiled by volunteers of The Mon-trose County Veterans’ Advisory Committee.

******The G.I.’s SpeakSunny Italy, July, 1944

“I received your paper a few days ago and was very pleased with it and all the swell news from home...I visited Rome a couple of times while we were near it and found it to be quite an interesting place and also a beautiful one...Dr. Brethouwer and Harold Cope are not very far from me right now but things are moving pretty fast. Pfc. John L. Rash, Jr.”

New York, New York, July 16, 1944“I have often read letters written to publish-

ers by readers giving the old ‘read every word from cover to cover’ story, and never thought such a statement could even begin to ring true. Well, dad-gum-it, I’ve nearly reached that ultimate. The number of words of your paper I’ve left unread so far is approximately equal to the permanent heartbeat of a dead Heinie. Your paper--as a civilian service to armed forces personnel--is most unusual, almost unique, in that it speaks the serviceman’s lingo. No sob stuff...there’s a bit of spice...and a lot of to the point news about other Mon-trose servicemen and women (ya, women: bless ‘em.) Respectfully, Ensign Ernest J. Faussone”

Nov. 6, 1944, Maxwell Field, Ala.“The boys in the offi ce have surely enjoyed

the News. I appreciate your time and efforts in publishing and sending this paper to the four corners of the earth! I am an instructor in physics and electricity at present. I had a class of French cadets from Algiers last week. When the problems of the #6 computer became too involved, I had an interpreter to translate. It was quite an experience. We had some 900 planes--navy and army--fl own in here dur-ing the recent hurricane scare. The B20’s are beginning to come in. It is some ship! Best wishes to all my many Montrose friends and thanks again. Sincerely, Lt. Ralph P. Monell”

Jan. 18, 1945“Just a few words to acknowledge the fact

that I’ve received a copy. I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. It’s a fi ne ges-ture and the extra time and effort you must be

putting forth to make it possible for us to enjoy some good reading and ‘multi’ laughs! I’m not an old citizen of Montrose county, but I like the people there very much. I’m looking forward to the day when I can go back to Montrose and make my citizenship permanent. I’m a mem-ber of a Liberator bomber crew, and we’ve dropped bombs over Germany several times. The rest of the crew also send their good wishes and they want you to know that they enjoy the paper too...from one who is thankful that the people back home are thinking of us. Sincerely, Cpl. Joe Eisaguirre”

Feburary 1945“Somewhere in the Pacifi cMay I thank each and every one of you for

sending me your little paper. I had the plea-sure of being in your fair little city in August of 1943 for two days. Last June of 1944 my wife purchased a house, home to me, on 301 South 9th Street. June, my wife, is very well pleased with her environment and I will be ever so happy when the war is over so I can join her and start life anew as so many others will be. Again, may I thank you for your grand little paper. It helps one’s morale, believe me.

Sincerely, S/Sgt. Lawrence L. Larson”

******Service NewsNovember 1944

“Miss Margaret Chase, , daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Chase of Menoken, now is a phar-macist’s mate third class in the Waves and is stationed at the naval hospital at San Diego, Calif.”

“A telegram came to Mr. and Mrs. Edward Fresques stating that their eldest son, Lt. Herman Max Fresques, had been killed in ac-tion in France on Oct. 8. No other details are given.”

“S/Sgt. Edwin Hofmann arrived at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Hofmann, for a 10-day furlough and while here planned on going elk hunting.”

“At Sweetwater, Tex., Wasp Peggy Moyni-han has completed an intensive course in instrument fl ying at Avenger Field, which quali-fi es her for other advanced work.”

November 1945“George Townsend, radarman second class

in the navy reserve, is in Montrose on a short leave and reports that his mother, Mrs. Mary Townsend, former city librarian now is assis-tant librarian at Watsonville, Calif.”

“Pvt. William Musgrave, army aerial photog-rapher, visited recently with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Heber Musgrave, on a 15 day delay en route. He took time out to bring in a nice four-point buck.”

Olathe News“Sgt. H. D. Stephens has been spending his

30 day furlough with relatives and friends in and about Olathe. He completed his missions over Germany from a base in Italy. He has a

presidential citation, four stars and oak leaf cluster.”

“Sgt. Bill Mills has received his discharge from the army after four years and nine months.”

“Clarence Ensign arrived home last week to spend 15 days with family and friends. It is reported that he and Tylma Lee Diamond took the vows on July 16.”

******

Gold Star Report (Killed in action)T/S. Ervin Vanderpool, Olathe; France......

Nov. 1944Pfc. Myron Willden, Jr., Paradox;

Leyte..........1944Marion Oliver Burch, Olathe; South Pacif-

ic.....1942Pfc. Guy E. Wright, Olathe; Leyte.........1944Cpl. Glenn D. Hill; France.......1945Capt. Carll D. Coffman, Olathe; Germa-

ny.....1944Francis J. Jarrel, S/Sgt.; Leyte...........1944Cpl. Joe Martinez; Europe..........1944

******Gloom Chasers

Voice on phone: “Are your father and mother at home?”

Little Johnny: “They was, but they isn’t now.”Voice: “They was, but they isn’t--where’s

your grammar?”Johnny: “She’s went out too.”

The best “drunk” story we have heard lately is about that fellow Lou Brown, alcoholically oversubscribed, who was feeling his way around a lamp post, muttering, “Sno use; I’m walled in!”

Zoole: “So that’s your new overcoat! It’s rather loud, isn’t it?

Foole: “Yes, but I intend to wear a muffl er with it.”

“Would you call for help if I tried to kiss you?”“Would you need help?”

One thing that the discovery of the North Pole proved is that nobody is sitting on top of the world.

There once was a lady named StellaWho fell for a bow-legged fella.But she, the poor sap, Tried to sit on his lapAnd landed ker-plunk in the cella!

A gentleman is a patient wolf.

A bathing suit is like a barbed wire fence. It protects the property without obstructing the view.

Defi nition of conscience: That part of us that feels so bad when everything else feels so good.”●

By Marilyn Cox | Special to the Montrose Daily Press

Montrose County News – a newspaper for servicemen


We Thank You forYour Service!

PaST AND PRESENTFOR THEIR SELFLESS SACRIFICES THAT ENABLE US

TO LIVE IN FREEDOM.

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