BEACON - Salute to Veterans (November 2012)

Some gave all, but all gave some: the price of freedom remains highpage 6

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Many veterans such as Harvey Haats relinquished the pleasures of home to protect our freedom.

2 A sAlute to veterAns www.BeaconSeniorNews.com November 2012

By Brenda Evers

Harvey Haats, 90, doesn’t know where the light switch is located

in his new apartment at The Foun-tains of Hilltop, but he can recall meticulous details of his service in two wars, and about how he lost his eyesight in the Korean War.

Most soldiers returning home don’t want to talk about their war experi-ence. But Haats is more than a World War II hero and Korean conflict survivor. Harvey is a courageous man who overcame the limitations of his wounds.

After 62 years of sightlessness, he remembers it all clearly, and he tells his story to anyone who asks.

“I’m a native Minnesotan,” he said. “I was born 75 miles south of the Canadian border on Highway 159 in 1922… at a little town named Bejou.”

By the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Haats was 19, married and had three children. He felt it was his duty to stay and support his family, but he was drafted in 1943.

“I got the call in March for exami-nation, and in July, I was inducted into the Army Infantry,” Haats said. “After basic training I joined the 77th Infantry Division, also known as the Empire State Division. After two weeks furlough, I was shipped off directly overseas. I had no time at home except those two weeks with family before I had to go.”

The 77th Infantry fought some of

the bloodiest battles in the Pacific. They took the Philip-pines, then Oki-nawa and were preparing for a beach landing at Tokyo when the atomic bomb was dropped.

“I was one of the ones fortu-nate enough to get sent back to the states,” Haats said. “I made it home by Decem-ber 19 to Will-mar, Minnesota, where my family was.”

But Haats said the economy was bad and he couldn’t find any work.

“You couldn’t even buy a job,” Haats said. “That’s when I re-entered the service in April 1948.”

For two years, Harvey was a staff sergeant and considered making the Army his career. He cherishes the al-bum that his daughter made for him about his life’s achievements. The album’s only military photo depicts a handsome young soldier leaning against a new car.

“I only got to drive my 1949 Pontiac Chieftain 1,200 miles before I left for Korea,” Haats said.

Blind veteran finds hobby in woodwork after war

We salute all those who have served and sacrificed in defense of our nation.

Haats was or-dered to Korea in June 1950, but wasn’t there for very long.

“By July 31, this experi-enced soldier had been hit by shrapnel from a mortar shell that sent him home a wounded war-rior,” Haats said.

Haats was assigned to first cavalry and was given orders to overtake the enemy. As they moved up the mountain where

the enemy was, two young soldiers traveling with Haats lost contact with one another and called for help.

“I rushed up there to straighten things out,” Haats said. “I thought I took shelter between a big boulder about the size of a boxcar on my right, and a mountain straight up on my left. A couple of arm signals, and the mortar shells came in and hit me at the big boulder with a lot of shrap-nel. That’s when I was taken out, and of course, lost my sight immediately.”

The young soldiers started down the mountain with Haats on a stretcher.

“Part-way down, we happened to cross a swarm of bees,” Haats said. “We were attacked severely. The fel-las laid me down and started fighting the bees with their field jackets.”

But the young soldiers soon re-treated.

“They thought the best thing was to get out of there,” Haats said. “All I could hear was running footsteps back to where we came from. I was left lying there. They never did come back.”

An hour or so later, Haats heard voices in the distance, but they weren’t speaking English.

“They were Korean,” Haats said. “I thought, ‘Oh my, this could be my end.’ Low and behold, it was a medic with a South Korean stretcher team, going up to the battle.”

They carried him down to a Jeep. He was aware of each moment, but his strongest memory was when they took him off the ambulance.

“As my face came out from un-der the canopy, a lovely, beautiful, wonderful, warm sea mist fell on my face,” Haats said. “I heard a voice say-ing, ‘Everything will be alright.’”

Haats was never bitter about his injuries. He spent 9-1/2 months going through hospitalization, rehabilita-tion, and adaptation of life without sight.

“I have an awful lot of shrapnel, not only in my hand,” Haats said. “The rest of it is in the muscle tissues and

November 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com A sAlute to veterAns 3

inside my body.”In October 1951, he went home to

Willmar. The com-munity built his family a new house because their old one had burned down. Haats now had four children. To support them, his attitude was simple: “Go when you can. Do what you can.”

“I wanted something to do and all I could do was woodwork,” Haats said. “After three years I built my own double car garage. People wouldn’t believe that I was going to do it. I said, ‘I am going to do it with help from above.’”

Everyone was amazed at a blind man sawing, hammering, measuring and building, with only a little help from his wife, Virginia.

“I did everything possible as a sightless person just to prove it can be done if you have the ability, pow-er and determination,” Haats said.

Haats also upholstered furniture and replaced automobile interiors. He moved to Grand Junction in 1977. After 35 happy years, Virginia died in 1981, but Haats remarried in 1983.

His new wife led him into a new career. She drove their RV across the

U.S. enter-taining at churches, nursing homes, and other ven-ues. Haats played his guitar while she played the Auto-harp.

“We met so many people,” Haats said. “It was all volunteering. We didn’t make a dime, but entertain-ing was more rewarding than any

money. We had 27 happy years to-gether.”

Haats moved into his current apart-ment in May and celebrated his 90th birthday in June.

Visitors can tell Haats has a military background by his stance, attire, and the organized sparseness of his apartment, but they don’t look for a disabled veteran who has lost hope. Even through 62 years of blind-ness, Haats has done his duty with determination in everything he has attempted.

At one time, Haats had a seeing-eye dog named Wolf.

By Cheryl Currier

“War changes you completely. You never again think the

same way. You don’t even look at a box of strawberries the same. [After war] a box of strawberries is a trea-sure, a treasure.”

Jane Dean Fightlin, 89, of Rifle, was hesitant to talk about the painful memories she has of World War II. Fightlin was born in St. Paul, Minne-sota, but most of her childhood was spent in Europe.

When the war started she joined the U.S. Navy be-cause “there was a hell of a war going on and people were dying.”

Although she had an education that would have qualified her to enlist as an officer, Fightlin decided to enlist as a seaman.

“I didn’t think I knew anything about America and I wanted to learn what America was about,” she said. “I had a very strong British accent and it took me a while to get rid of it.”

Her initial service was in the Sup-ply Corps, but she was soon pro-moted to the rank of ensign. Eventu-

ally, she was assigned to a military hospital outside of San Francisco on Mare Island, where the most severely wounded Marines and seamen were sent. It was the carnage she wit-nessed at the hospital, where the cost of war is paid in human suffering, that makes it difficult for Fightlin to share her story.

Both of her parents and sister served as well. Her mother was the assistant to the head of the American Red Cross during World War I. Her mother met her father in Paris dur-

ing his Army service. Her sister served in World War II as an Army officer.

Fightlin remembered a harrowing escape out of Paris in the middle of the night when it was

occupied by the Germans. She, her mother and sister “escaped with the clothes on our backs. We left through the seaport of Bordeaux and then on to Lisbon.”

Fightlin’s husband was a skilled surgeon and they had four children. Two sons live in western Colorado. Fightlin lives at the Colorado State Veterans Home at Rifle.

Woman continues legacy of service

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By Patricia Scholes

Allan Scott, 92, was too young to fight during the Battle of Britain

during World War II. However, by the time he was ready, the Siege of Malta had begun, and the young pilot learned firsthand how to fight for his country and the free world through luck and prayer.

Scott eventually earned the title of squadron leader. Malta, in the center of the Mediterranean strategically located just a few miles south of Italy, had to be kept from the Italian Air Force. Benito Mussolini needed Malta as a base to support Erwin Rommel, who wanted to take the Suez Canal in Africa.

An aircraft carrier brought the long-nosed Spitfires as far as Gibral-tar. Scott and the other young pilots flew their planes from the carrier to the island of Malta. Although radar was not yet used, they still needed to fly low to avoid enemy aircraft.

Docked off Gibraltar, the aircraft carrier tried to hold steady while one by one the Spitfires taxied to the white guideline painted on its sur-face. Because the Spitfire’s nose was so long, the pilot needed to keep the line in view with his left eye while he gathered enough speed to leave the carrier.

The flight from Gibraltar to Malta gave them a taste of what they would experience for the next six months: flying low, constantly afraid, yet

pushing on toward their goal to keep Malta out of Italian hands. There they began the most harrow-ing adventure of their lives.

Their job was to defend the small island from the bombers in-tent on eradicat-ing every trace of British influ-ence. They were outnumbered five to one. All day, they flew their small Spitfires to shoot down as many bombers as they could to keep the enemy from drop-ping their payload.

The Spitfires landed on the three airfields in Malta. The ground crew’s job was to keep as many of the small aircrafts flying as possible, but often only four flew at a time while the ground crew worked feverishly to get the damaged planes back into service.

One strategy they used was to pretend that each one of the four crafts was a whole squadron. They would signal to each other, “Blue One to Green One…” as if Blue One and Green One were the leaders of a squadron. Then they would try to

Fighting against the Siege of Maltashoot

down the gruppen-fuhrer (group leader). Each group leader was respon-sible for accom-plishing his combat mission and directing the dropping of bombs and the firing of ma-chine guns.

With the group leader

gone, no one else was responsible for accomplishing the mission and directing the attack. Because sub-ordinates were expected to follow their leader’s instructions without question, once the leaders were shot down, the remaining crafts were left in confusion.

The other advantage of the Spit-fire was its high maneuverability. Although no good in a dogfight, they could twist and turn far better than any bomber or Messerschmitt.

But they were still outnumbered. Never had Scott felt such fear. He shot down six of the enemy in Malta plus four “probables,” making his total a probable 10.

He said the scariest part was dur-ing the October “blitz,” when Ger-

many tried to com-pletely wipe out Malta. The local people ran for

the caves, while the pilots scrambled to shoot down

the bombers. Scott believes that his father, who was deceased, watched over him like a guardian angel.

There were also incidents of sabo-tage, such as when people replaced the silk in the parachute packs with blankets, or those who placed barbed wire on the runway. Finally the base commander put up a gibbet with a sign, warning that those who were caught would be hung.

To make matters worse, there was little food. Each month a submarine would arrive with lots of fuel and ammunition, but not nearly enough food. The local people had it even worse, as there was no place to buy food on the island. Scott lost 120 pounds during his six-month tour. When he returned home, he was so starved that bread with butter was too rich for him.

Scott is far more than a World War II pilot. He is a man who loves life and lives every moment of that life.

“Live today,” he advised, “because you don’t know what’s coming around the corner tomorrow.”

Scott lives by his own motto. Besides being a commercial pilot, testing aircraft and stunt piloting after the war, he also pursues his joy of life through art.

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By Cheryl Currier

Betty Clifford, 66, of Ri-fle joined the Navy for

purely economic reasons. “They paid for my

schooling at the University of Colorado and I went in as a nurse,” Clifford said. “I ended up getting my mas-ter’s degree in community health at the University of Maryland.”

Clifford joined the Navy during the Vietnam War when there was a tremendous shortage of nurses.

“When I was a kid, girls only had the choice of nursing, teaching or be-ing a secretary and I thought nursing was the least intolerable,” she said.

Her Navy career spanned 23 years and she was stationed all over the U.S. and in Taiwan. She had responsi-bilities in patient education and initi-ated a program called Healing Hearts at Camp Pendleton for women who had experienced miscarriages.

“It was a hard job, but it was one of the most rewarding I have ever done,” Clifford said.

Just before retiring, Clifford be-came the head of a mobilization team that did field training.

“I learned how to rappel and set up field hospitals,” Clifford said.

She trained a number of troops who were sent to Desert Storm. But she couldn’t go because it was time for her to retire.

By Barbara Ward

Have you seen painted murals in Montrose or

Delta and wondered who the artist was? Have you seen the painted pandas on the side of Panda Palace or the mural at AATCO Transmission? No need to wonder any longer. Lo-cal artist and Vietnam vet Boyd Bruce painted these murals, along with several others in Delta and Grand Junction.

Bruce, 68, and his wife of 44 years, Anne, are both artists. However, she no longer paints due to poor health.

Bruce loves sharing the story of how they began their painting career together. In the early 1960s, Bruce and three other Vietnam soldiers were hitchhiking in front of a truck stop in California. Bruce was on his way to collect his discharge papers, as he was in the Marine Infantry and had just served one tour of duty in Vietnam. Anne saw the vets pulling into a truck stop and offered to buy them a beer.

While visiting, Bruce found out that Anne was also an artist.

“We’ve been together ever since,” Anne said.

The Bruces traveled the country in an old school bus doing odd jobs to provide for their needs. Today, they reside in that same school bus.

Bruce also likes telling the story of

“I felt so guilty because I wasn’t there when my troops had to go,” she said.

For Clifford, travel was definitely a highlight of her service in the Navy. She was born in Rifle and graduated from Rifle High School.

“[Travel] opened my eyes,” Clifford said. “I was really a small town kid. I

had never been on a city bus or an elevator when I left Rifle.”

When she was stationed in Taiwan, her landlady was Lillian Dixon, a Presbyterian missionary supported by her home church in Rifle.

“[Dixon] was about as Chinese as the Chinese,” Clifford said. “She took me to an island to see one of the schools she had established. That was really neat.”

Dixon’s husband was a doctor and he built a leprosarium in Taiwan.

After her Navy career, Clifford worked in public health, volunteered as a camp nurse at a church camp on Grand Mesa, and also taught medical terminology at Colorado Mountain College. She is the chaplain of the Kelly/Hanson Post of the American Legion in Rifle.

“I was really lucky to serve,” Clif-ford said. “I met a lot of wonderful people and I had a lot of experi-ences I never would have had if I had stayed in Colorado.”

how he decided to become an artist.

At age 8, he was under his house watching sun-rays beam through the boards. He thought to himself, “I can paint that.” And he did.

Since then, painting has become his passion. When his hobby turned into an opportunity to make mon-

ey, he mainly painted portraits. As his skills advanced, he began to paint horses, nature scenes and wildlife.

He said the idea for a painting usu-ally hits suddenly.

“It usually comes out of the Twi-light Zone and I have this intense desire to paint something I’ve seen, usually an animal,” Bruce said. “The rest of the painting falls into place.”

He takes great pride in a mural he and Anne painted together in the California desert near Edwards Air Force Base and a Borax mine. She painted the space shuttle landing and he painted the 20-mule Borax team. Bruce said it is one of his favorites because, “[Anne] was my partner and friend then, and still is.”

Bruce enjoys losing himself in his hobby and career as an artist.

“Painting carries me to a place no one can enter,” Bruce said. “I just sit and paint with the Lord on my shoul-der. When I paint, I am at peace.”

To contact Bruce, call 765-6550.

Travel with Navy opened her eyes Vietnam vet finds peace with art


By Sandi Cameron

Local historian and filmmaker Lar-ry Cappetto’s statement, “An act

of remembrance is an act of honor” rings true when honoring our local veterans. Since the birth of the U.S., no single generation of Americans has been spared the responsibility of defending freedom by force of arms. In fact, more than a million have lost their lives due to war. Those who have served deserve a heartfelt salute of thanks from each and every citi-zen of this “land of the free, home of the brave.” The greatness and good-ness of our country is in large part because of the sacrificial service of so many. We can do no less than give honor where honor is due.

Made prior to 1900, this guberna-torial statement to troops still has validity: “Your state of Colorado honors you, and it is with pride that your friends speak of you. The price of your good name is shown in the records of your comrades who have been wounded, and who have laid down their lives as a sacrifice to their country’s honor and integrity, to the perpetuity of her institutions and of the Union. To those of the company who are to continue in the service, I would say, stand by the principles you first enlisted upon, stand by your country, and when the contest comes between you and the enemy of the Union, strike and battle with will and determination until the last foe has fled who would sever and destroy this glorious Union, and the true and wise will sustain you, and the patri-otic will honor you.”

As some may know, over 53,000 American deaths from battle wounds resulted for World War I, including 1,091 Coloradans who never returned home.

World War II Americans dying in combat numbered 292,000 with 2,697 from Colorado, including 73 Army and Air Force troops from Mesa County. Statistics show 34,000

deaths during the Korean conflict (305 Coloradans) and 47,000 in Vietnam (623 Coloradans). Casualties from Vietnam included Western Slopers Rus-sell Welch, Gary Trujillo, Michael Sower, Richard Smith, Robert Sievers, Ray-mond Shafer, Allen Scoggin, Danny Schwartz, Ronnie Schultz, Dennis Miller, Larry Kennann, Harry Jones, David Johnson, Raymond Hopkins, David Hollingworth, Thomas Griffee, Mike Gonzales, Jerry Gobbo, Bruce Franz, Robert Fitzhugh, George Ficklin, Amie Duran, Thomas Doody, LeRoy Donovan, Richard Donathan, John Doby, Robert Dickson, James DeWitt, LeRoy Delgado, Mark Danielson, George Clark, Billy Clark, Sam Bur-nell, John Barry, Adam Ballard and Charles Adkins. (Visit www.archives.gov/aad for more information.) The Persian Gulf War claimed 147 combat deaths.

At least 1,638 Americans have died in Afghanistan since the

Veterans of Western Colorado: let freedom reign“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in

the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” - Ronald Reagan

The Gold Star Pin was created for widows, widowers and family members of men who lost their lives while defending the United States.

beginning of the war. Daniel Romero, 30, a

Green Beret from Lafay-ette was the first of this group, dying in Afghani-stan while disposing of Russian rockets in 2002.

Ninety-four U.S. service members from Colorado have

died in Operation Iraqi Free-dom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Mike Shackelford, Chance Phelps, Nicklas Palmer, Wade Oglesby, Chad Maynard, Evenor Herrera, George Geer, and Mark Engel were notably from the Western Slope. Families and

friends alike grieve for those who have given their lives and/or limbs for the cause of freedom.

The traveling photo exhibit “Colo-rado Freedom Memorial” honors the 90+ Coloradans who have been killed in action during the War on Terror.

“It’s about giving people the op-portunity to honor and remember these brave men and women who volunteered to serve on our behalf,”

a Gold Star Mother said. “Hopefully, their families will be lifted up when they see their loved ones being re-membered.”

Colorado’s House Joint Resolution 12-1007 was passed to recognize “military personnel from Colorado who died during specific military conflicts, including those killed after September 11, 2001, during the war on terrorism, including but not limited to those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.” The Fallen Heroes Memo-rial Commission was established by statute in 2007 to erect memorials to commemorate the lives of Colora-dans who died.

Tom Kennedy, recently residing in Crested Butte, was a highly deco-rated soldier who died at the hands of a suicide bomber. Even civilians have been affected by the war in the Middle East. Durango dentist Tom Grams made a last-minute decision to join a medical mission to an isolated Afghan valley that ended in tragedy in August of 2010 when he and nine other volunteers were gunned down while returning to Kabul.

A number of war memorials exist in Colorado. On the grounds of the state capitol, Capt. John D. Howland’s bronze figure of a Union Soldier facing South with gun in hand was built to honor Colorado’s Civil War heroes and to promote civic pride. The stone base of this monument is adorned with four tablets that list the battles and names of the soldiers who died. Also chiseled into the base of this memorial is the statement that Colorado had the highest average of volunteers in the Civil War of any state or territory in the Union.

In 1946, a group of Littleton citizens donated money for a War Memorial Park to honor the veterans of World War I and World War II. In 1964, this money was used to acquire Knob Hill, a two-acre plot east of the YMCA (now the School for the Blind).

Sailor and girl at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Washington, D.C., May 1943.Photo by John Collier.


In 1947, Gov. Lee Knous proclaimed the planned CU student union as a memorial to “those who served in these great wars” and named it the University Memo-rial Center in trib-ute to all Colorado veterans, men and women, who have served or are cur-rently serving our country. Many origi-nal artifacts from the U.S.S. Colorado, the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 38th state, are located in the UMC.

Members of World War II’s 10th Mountain Division were trained at Camp Hale near Leadville and at an altitude of 9,300 feet. Camp Hale was as large as 247,243 acres at its peak. Approximately 70 ski instruc-tors were recruited to teach ski techniques to the 16,000 troops. The most notorious incident at Camp Hale occurred in February of 1944 when Private Dale Maple helped two Nazi war prisoners escape to Mexico. Maple was caught and eventually sen-tenced to life in prison for his crimes. The camp’s war memorial can be found at the entrance to Ski Cooper.

During World War II, 2,697 mili-tary personnel from Colorado died. According to Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard records, released from prison camps after World War II were 56 men from Colorado, including the following from western Colorado: Eu-gene Wilkinson, John Stivers, Donald Scott, Barton Pinson, Clifford Mar-row, Robert Gray and Emit Logan. Frank Ward of Cedaredge was among the group of 24 Coloradans who died in such a camp.

Dedicated in 1996, the Korean War Veterans Association Colorado Springs Chapter began a planning and fundraising campaign to dedicate the first Colorado monument to Ko-

rean War veterans. The monument is 8-1/2 feet tall and carved from black granite. Under the monument is a time capsule, which includes photographs, insig-nia, and personal artifacts.

The dedication of Fruita’s Vietnam Memorial was on July 4, 2003 and was attended by more then 6,500 patriots from all over the U.S. The Phoenix Squadron was also pres-ent, with a Huey flyover starting the ceremony. In 2007, three bronze

statues of a mother and father wel-coming home their son from Viet-nam were added. The basic design of the memorial is a static display of a UH-1H Huey helicopter, the most recognizable symbol of the war. The memorial also has a granite wall with the names of Vietnam veterans surrounding the helicopter pad. A Library of Congress History Project website honors Vietnam veterans and presents “Vietnam War: Looking Back,” highlight-ing the wartime stories of those who served.

Cappetto, a local filmmaker and military historian, has produced a series of documenta-ries, titled “Lest They Be Forgotten,” honoring the sacrifices made by World War II, Korean, and Vietnam veterans. He has made it his life’s mis-sion to interview aging veterans, including those from World War II (over 1,000), and document their personal stories. The films capture the memories of the brave American veterans in

Colorado Division of Veterans Af-fairs Director Bill Conroy is a Viet-nam combat veteran. After leaving the military due to injuries received, he began working with Disabled American Veterans. Conroy agreed that veterans of all areas and eras of service need to know and utilize their benefits.

At Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, through the pall of smoke from the Arizona, which filled the morning sky and bore testimony to the massive destruc-tion wrought by the enemy, one symbol of hope remained: the flag of the United States of America.

Freedom would sur-vive and would ulti-

mately triumph. Just as the American flag that survived came to represent our nation’s resolve to “rise from the ashes” and fight to defend all it held dear, this flag also became a flag of peace. May we continue to vigilantly seek peace as a nation, while main-taining wisdom of present dangers to the security of our blessed land. The price of freedom is unquestion-ably high, but the loss of it would be unbearable.

Capt. John D. Howland’s bronze figure of a Union Soldier was built to honor Colorado’s Civil War heroes.

their own words. “What has been missing is to hear

the story of their patriotism, sacri-fice, and love of country in their own words,” Cappetto said.

He sells a nine-count DVD set as part of his filming project. See www.veteranshistory.org/Veterans_History_Project.html for more information.

Statistics are not easy numbers to verify when it comes to local veterans. Local VA Hospital Chief of Customer Relations and Public Affairs Paul Sweeney said we have approximately 42,000 veterans in this region. Over 10,000 actively use the facilities in Grand Junction period-ically or, for some, full time. Sweeney said some veterans are unaware of all of their benefits and need to seek information on the new-est laws or talk to VA personnel to determine what is available for them. Benefits may include compensation for injuries and illnesses incurred or aggravated while in service, pension, housebound allowance, counseling services, education, life insurance, home loans, and vocational rehabilita-tion, as well as others.

“The cost of freedom is always high, but

Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and

that is the path of surren-der, or submission.” - John F. Kennedy


By Barbara Ward

Fresh out of high school, Jack Backlund and his twin brother

enlisted in the Navy. They were sent to Redlands University in Redlands, California as flight candidates. How-ever, after the Battle of Mid-way, where the Navy sank four of five Japanese submarines, they did away with the pilot program. Back-lund and his brother were reassigned to ACORN 48, a Navy program that took over Japanese-cap-tured airfields.

Their duty was to work alongside the Navy Seabees, operat-ing the control towers. From Mactan Island in the Philippines, Backlund went to Saipan, then to Guam to prepare for the invasion of Japan. In Guam, he was assigned to a PC 113, which was used to escort con-voys, launch landing craft, do mine sweeps, and pick up downed fliers.

It was in Guam that Backlund saw something that he will always re-member.

The Navy arrived before the Ma-

By Brenda Evers

Heads turn when a beautiful motorcycle goes by, but people

smile when Ike Berry idles at the stoplight or drives his “trike” into a bank drive-through.

This 80-year-old disabled Korean Veteran and his companion, Gail Brawley, are often seen motoring around the Grand Valley on Berry’s unlabeled, Army-green, three-wheeled motorcycle.

His bike is a homemade, street-legal, custom creation “made by my friend, another dis-abled Korean vet, a few years ago,” Berry said proudly. “We got a new 1,600 cc Volkswagen engine in it this summer. Now we are enjoying the cool autumn weather.”

Berry is always the driver while Brawley enjoys sitting comfortably behind him on an elevated back seat or “rocking chair” as she calls it. Few people notice the common black and white ice cooler behind the seat until they realize that the hose trailing up the length of the bike to Berry is for his oxygen.

He doesn’t comment on the dan-gers. Instead, he mentions that this

rines. When the enemy saw them offshore, they dug a large hole, filled it with oil, and set it afire. Backlund said the Japanese soldiers bowed to Japan and the emperor, and jumped into the fire, rather than be taken

prisoner. “Going to

war, you grew up in a hurry,” Montrose resi-dent Backlund, now 86, said. “But you knew you were do-ing it for our country.”

With the up-coming presi-dential elec-tion, it bothers Backlund to hear people say they won’t or don’t vote.

“It’s un-American not to vote,” Backlund said. “A lot of people don’t realize what this country means. It’s a shame, too.”

Last year, Backlund traveled to Washington, D.C. to see the World War II Memorial.

“We must realize that all those who are mentally or physically damaged, or those who have lost their lives, did it to give this country freedom,” Backlund said.

is one of his main forms of transpor-tation, and he has to have oxygen “since I got a blood clot in my lungs.”

Even as a retired Colorado Highway Department worker and a disabled Army veteran that served in Korea, Berry does not rest on his laurels.

“This is one of my play toys,” Berry said. “I have another big engine bike just for me. Gail has her own 800 Su-zuki for when we want to go biking long distances, like up on the Mesa.”

Berry likes using his trike to make people happy.

“Nothing would be bet-ter than to take a senior citizen for a ride on my trike,” Berry said, referring to any fellow vet-eran or disabled friend wishing to get on the

road and to feel young again, if only for a moment.

“I managed to get a neighbor lady out of her wheelchair to go for a ride,” he said. “To see her smile was enough thanks.”

Berry cared enough to serve his country and now cares enough to stay busy helping people in his own way—whether it be by continuing to volunteer at the local organizations he cares about, or by giving a vet or disabled person a ride on his trike.

Going to war, you grow up in a hurry Korean vet is cool on trike

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By Linda Lovendahl

John “Jack” Kier said of his tour with the 48th coast

artillery in the South Pacific, “I got to see the world.”

He promptly added that World War II changed his life.

“I was told that when you got to go home, you would want to kiss the ground,” Kier said. “It’s that important to return to American soil.”

Kier’s grandson, John, served in Iraq for three years and they compare experiences.

“The technology and sophistication of the equipment is very different now,” Kier said. “Nothing is the same. My grandson had furloughs whereas I didn’t. Not one. Plus, we knew where he was and what he was doing the whole time he was on duty. My folks didn’t know anything about me. What hasn’t changed is the chain of command and sense of duty.”

Kier was drafted June 25, 1943, at age 20. He took the usual series of tests in Watsonville, California and was assigned to the Army artillery. He attended boot camp at Camp Mc-Quade, spent three months shooting shells out into the waters off Ventura beach, and then headed to San Fran-cisco. There, they loaded up a ship for Oahu, Hawaii.

Practice in these waters was preparation for the Saipan invasion of Peleliu. After the island was secured,

Kier spent a year six degrees north of the equator guarding the island from enemy ships, unloading U.S. ships, clearing highways and building the camp.

“Two guns from our battery were used to support our Marines at the battle of Iwo Jima for two months,” Kier said.

He loaded a ship destined for Japan, serving as a three-striped sergeant when the war ended.

His highest emotional point of the 2 1/2-year experience was turning 21 in Waikiki, Hawaii. The lowest point was when everyone but him and one other soldier were deactivated.

“We were assigned to take equip-

Artillery man assigned to Saipanment to Saipan while the rest of the battery got to go home when the war ended,” Kier said. “It took us quite awhile to get the job done. We got home two months later. It was always tough getting ready for an invasion. You never knew what was going to happen next.”

Kier became very adept at han-dling a long tom 155 mm 6-inch shell gun that was 172 inches long (about 14 feet).

Once out of the service, he returned home to a small town 30 miles south of Steamboat Springs. He helped on his father’s ranch and then started his own. He married and raised a family of three boys and one girl. He finished his career working for the state highway department and lives today in Grand Junction.

A couple of years ago, Kier’s son and daughter-in-law planned a tour of the East Coast and invited Kier and his wife, Irene, to join them.

“We stopped at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.,” Kier said. “I was in awe. It is a beautiful monument.”

Kier was proud to have served his country.

“I wouldn’t have missed the oppor-tunity for the world,” Kier said. “But to be truthful, I wouldn’t do it again.”

“I wouldn’t have missed the op-portunity for the world. But to be truthful, I wouldn’t do it again.”

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Adopt-a-Box to support troops Operation Interdependence’s Adopt-a-Box is a great gift idea this holiday season. For $30, OI will ship a box of 50 Civilian Rations (C-rats) in your name or the name of a loved one to a deployed U.S. troop.

C-rats contain personal notes from a caring civilian at home along with everyday items the troops miss such as snacks, games and toiletries. For many, it’s the only com-munication they receive from home. OI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All dona-tions are tax deductible. Volunteers support up to 25,000 troops each month.

To adopt a box, call Karon Carley at 523-4217, email [email protected], visit www.oidelivers.org, or mail donations to:

Operation Interdependence2695 Patterson Road #2-147Grand Junction, CO 81506

Honoring vets with wreaths across AmericaAs part of the Wreaths Across America project, the local Patriot Guard Riders are asking for wreath sponsorships. Wreaths are needed for 1,300 gravesites at the Vet-erans Memorial Cemetery in Grand Junc-tion. Wreaths will be placed on the graves on December 15. One wreath is only $15. All donations are tax deductible. If you’d like to donate or volunteer, call 250-1174 or mail your donations to:

Patriot Guard Riders616 Lodgepole St.Grand Junction, CO 81504


By Linda Lovendahl

Whether 93-year-old Al Taddeo is a leg-

end, celebrity or simply a pilot from World War II is irrelevant to Grand Junc-tion resident and son, Ed Parker Taddeo.

“It’s a fact he is the last living member of the origi-nal Blue Angels,” Ed, 63, said. “I only need to know he is my father and I am proud of him. The recent Grand Junction Air Show was magic for me.”

Ed said there were several factors that came together to make this air show special for him. The apparent serendipity engaged Ed as a participant in the passage of local history.

“It was really neat,” he said. “It had nothing to do with any effort on my part. It was all about my father.”

Al retired from the U.S. Navy as a commander in 1963 after a 21-year career. He made 350 landings as a fighter pilot on aircraft carriers and downed three enemy planes in World

War II. He was twice awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and was the first to break the bachelorhood tradition when the Blue Angels first formed by requesting to be married and still fly with the team.

The purpose of the team is to en-hance naval recruiting and represent Navy and Marine Corps aviation to America and other countries as inter-

Blue magic: father/son relationship augments local history

national ambassadors of goodwill.One result of the recent air show’s

magic was the progression of Ed’s personal awareness of what a Blue Angel pilot is all about. It didn’t really impact him until he joined the Navy Reserves in 1970. His father swore him into service. His father could have drawn a lot of attention to him-self, but that day was about Ed.

“It was significant to him that I didn’t join the Army or the Air Force,” Ed said. “He was proud of me and told me so.”

It wasn’t until this last decade, however, that Ed cognitively registered the full scope of what his dad accomplished. With each show that passed, as well as the number of surviving original pilots who passed away, his dad received more publicity. By 2012, Ed was much more ac-quainted with the Blue Angels’ history than ever before, but he discovered there was an even larger effect his dad’s experience had on present-day pilots.

“We sat together in the stands,” he said. “Dad critiqued the pilots as they flew overhead. At first I thought this strange, but then realized—that was

what he had learned after all. He told me he had kept in contact with many of the pilots because he talked with them every year at the home base Na-val Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida where the Blues just celebrated their 63rd anniversary. The pilots sought him out and wanted to spend time with him. These pilots didn’t want to talk about Blues’ history. They

Pilots have been flying the F/A-18 Hornet for 26 years. The 2012 team poses with the Taddeo family (left to right) Kaycee and Dillon Wells, Diane and Ed Taddeo, Justen Taddeo, Al and Joan Taddeo. At left, Al Taddeo jumps into his cockpit. He is the only original Blue Angel pilot still living. The first demonstration team performed in 1946.

Wreaths Across America

The Western Slope Patriot Guard Riders and Wreaths Across America need sponsors for our annual sponsorship drive for wreaths at the Veterans Memorial

Cemetery located in Grand Junction. If you have a loved one buried there or would like to sponsor a wreath(s) they are $15.00 each this coming Christmas. For information contact:

Art Edwards 970-250-1174 or [email protected]


Ongoing Older Adult ActivitiesDuplicate Bridge - Mondays 12:30-4:00pmTuesday Needlers - Tuesdays 10:00am-noonPinochle - Tuesday 12:30-4:00pmCribbage Club - Wednesday 8:30-11:00amParty Bridge - Thursday 1:00-4:00pmCribbage Grassroots - 1st Thursday of each month, 6:30-9:30pm

Fitness Classes and Water Fitness ClassesWe have over 55 fitness and water classes. Come join us.

Hours: Mon-Thurs: 5:30 AM-9:30 AM Friday: 5:30 AM-7:30 AMSaturday: 8:00 AM-8:00 PM Sunday: 11:00 AM-5:00 PM

Bill Heddles Recreation Center530 Gunnison River Drive • Delta, CO 81416

(970) 874-0923

Thank YouVeterans!

wanted to know what it is like to fly maneuvers in combat. That concept hadn’t entered my mind before. My dad was passing down first-hand ex-perience to these pilots who couldn’t get the knowledge anywhere else. It’s the passing of an era. Everyone has an opinion about our military and whether it is changing for better or worse. But it is a fact that conven-tional air defense has changed as rad-ically as airplane design since World War II. Times are changing. The era of the Blues is go-ing away fast.”

Another impor-tant facet of this year’s show was the attendance of former Navy fighter pilot Bob Brunson.

Ed was standing in line for his photo to be taken next to one of the planes. He was wearing a Navy hat with “USS Enterprise” embroidered on it. From behind him, Brunson asked if he knew anyone who had served on the carrier and they began sharing information. Brunson flew with VF Nancy 101, the first carrier-based squadron to fly at night. Prior to becoming a Blue Angel, Ed’s dad had flown by day. The two pilots had

known of each other, but had never met.

“It was exciting,” Ed said. “They met for the first time at this year’s show in Grand Junction after know-

ing about each other for 68 years. This made the whole event much more meaningful for me. It really brought home how real everyday his-tory can be. You never know what chance meetings you’ll have and what amazing connections can become of it.”

The final element of magic happened for Ed when he picked up his son, 13-year-old Justen, early from school on the Friday of the air show weekend.

As they drove toward Walker Field, the Blues flew overhead in diamond formation.

“Hey son, look at that,” he said. “You know, you could do that some day.”

“I can’t. I don’t know how to fly.”“You could. They train you.”“I didn’t say any more after that,”

Ed said. “You never know what a son will do and it’s ultimately up to him what he does with his life. But it sure would be awesome.”

Ed Taddeo was sworn into the Navy Reserves by retired Navy Commander Al Taddeo, his father, in 1970.

In honor of Veterans Day and in recognition of their dedication

and commitment to service, AARP Driver Safety is offering a free class-room course or 50 percent off its online course to all members of the U.S. Armed Forces from November 1 through November 30.

This offer is available to individu-als who serve or have served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard/Reserves or Coast Guard. Spouses, including domestic partners, widows and widowers, dependents and children are also eligible to take advantage of this promotion.

AARP Driver Safety offered this promotion for the first time last No-vember, and nearly 40,000 veterans took advantage of the opportunity to refresh their driving skills. The AARP Driver Safety course teaches valuable defensive driving skills and provides a refresher of the rules of the road. Since 1979, the course has helped over 14 million drivers learn proven safety strategies and tips for how to adapt one’s driving to compensate for physical and cognitive changes that may come with aging. Plus, partici-pants may qualify for an automobile insurance discount by completing the classroom course (participants should check with their auto insur-ance agent for details).

To redeem the free classroom course offer, veterans and their fam-

ily members must present a com-pleted coupon to the host organiza-tion or the volunteer instructor at the time of registration or payment. No additional identification is required. Course coupons are available at www.aarp.org/veterans.

With courses offered in communi-ties throughout the country, veterans should have little difficulty finding a class that’s conveniently located. Classes are limited in size and fill up quickly, however, so those interested should call early to find a class that fits their needs. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Visit www.aarp.org/findacourse or call 1-888-AARP-NOW (1-888-227-7669) to find a course.

As an alternative to the classroom course, veterans and their families are invited to take the AARP Driver Safety online course at 50 percent off the normal course price. In the online course, participants will learn the same valuable tips and informa-tion as they would in the classroom course, but they can take it at their own pace from their home.

To receive 50 percent off of the online course, visit www.aarpdriv ersafety.org and enter the promotion code “Veterans” when prompted dur-ing registration and checkout. Upon registration, participants will have 60 days to complete the online course.

AARP Driver Safety salutes veterans

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Documents

BEACON - Salute to Veterans (November 2012)