<\/p>\n
Trumpets, drums, choral singers and rumbling motorcycles were all heard at the annual Cortez Veterans Day parade on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Lining Montezuma Avenue, hundreds of young and old gathered to wave American flags, cheer and honor all who had served in the U.S. military. The parade included scores of veterans in regalia carrying rifles, an antique roadster with a MIA\/POW flag, Girl Scouts marching alongside a wheelchair bound veteran and a dog in the lap of a lady wearing red, white and blue on a horse-drawn carriage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just glad they remembered us,\u201d said one veteran. \u201cThere are a lot of towns that don\u2019t have a Veterans Day parade.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than three dozen organizations entered the parade, including the Blue Star Moms, Daughters of the American Revolution, high school and middle school bands and the Mesa Howlers. Parade organizer John Shriner was thankful for the support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want the community be involved,\u201d said the retired Army veteran.<\/p>\n
Despite the success, some veterans reportedly boycotted the event because they wanted the parade route to be returned to Main Street. One veteran said he and his comrades should receive the level of recognition of a homecoming queen or Santa Claus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were quite a few veterans that were upset,\u201d said Fran Marciano, a bartender at the American Legion. \u201cThey take exception that the parade is not on Main Street.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shriner explained the route was changed to Montezuma Avenue several years ago after officials failed to seek the proper permit from the Colorado Department of Transportation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt worked so well, we\u2018ve kept the parade on Montezuma Avenue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Shriner, who had patrolled the German border during the Cold War, said Montezuma Avenue was a safer route for children to view the parade, and attendance had grown annually since the change.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a better venue,\u201d said Shriner. \u201cIt has a quieter, more hometown feel.\u201d<\/p>\n
City Manager Shane Hale, also a veteran, said he preferred the Montezuma Avenue route, saying it was a more intimate setting. He added that the city would support the parade no matter the route.<\/p>\n
\u201cVeterans have sacrificed so much of themselves for our freedom. They spent long periods time away from their families, worked extremely long hours and put themselves in harm\u2019s way without a second thought,\u201d said Hale. \u201cSetting aside a time and place to recognize these men and women is the absolute least that we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cortez Police Chief Roy Lane said he didn\u2019t have an attendance estimate for Tuesday\u2019s parade, but added it was one of the largest crowds in recent memory.<\/p>\n
Breakfast with a veteran<\/p>\n
At a Veterans Day breakfast to honor military personnel and their families, retired U.S. sailor Bobby Cowan graciously shared his story over pancakes, sausage links, scrambled eggs and coffee.<\/p>\n
At age 17, Cowan left his hometown of Cortez to join the Navy in 1977. During his 25-year military career, Cowan served as an onboard firefighter, welder and paramedic. He especially enjoyed serving as a survival instructor, training military personnel how to endure enemy capture.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe skills I learned in the Navy prepared me for life outside the military,\u201d said Cowan, who is now a Kinder Morgan pipeline controller.<\/p>\n
His wife of nearly 35 years, Becky Cowan, said the military also made her stronger. Her husband was sometimes deployed for nine months at a time, forcing her to occasionally serve as both parents to the couple\u2019s two children.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a military wife and family wasn\u2019t always easy,\u201d she said. \u201cWe all had to make sacrifices.\u201d<\/p>\n
After raising two children in California, the Cowan\u2019s returned to Montezuma County in 2007.<\/p>\n
At the breakfast, American Legion Post 75 Commander Marvin Hermanns said veterans like Cowan helped to guarantee the nation\u2019s freedoms.<\/p>\n
\u201cFreedom is paid for by the blood, sweat and tears of our men and women in the armed forces,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tribute in Dolores<\/p>\n
Sacrifice. Honor. Service. Freedom. Those words gained deeper meaning during an impressive Veterans Day assembly at Dolores Schools. Nearly 1,000 students, citizens and veterans attended the 90-minute ceremony, complete with performances from the school band and choir.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year, it gets better and better,\u201d said Superintendent Scott Cooper. \u201cThis year was the best yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Veterans from each branch of the military were asked to stand and be recognized. Five empty chairs represented veterans still missing or taken prisoner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey call them MIA\/POW; we call them brothers,\u201d a student said. \u201cThey are here in spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another student urged the audience to be mindful of the battle scars that endure for so many veterans long after combat.<\/p>\n
A local Vietnam veteran, met with scorn upon his return in 1970 from anti-war crowds, said the event offered some closure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you Dolores schools for this assembly,\u201d said the Navy veteran. \u201cI finally got my welcome home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outreach Center opened<\/p>\n
About 50 people gathered for the grand opening of a new veterans outreach center in Cortez on Tuesday. Located at the intersection of South Market and West First streets, the center aims to serve as a one-stop source for assistance, benefits and jobs as well as a gathering place for veterans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis center is going to be very important,\u201d said retired Air Force Master Sgt. Charles Grasse, who served from 1952 to 1982. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a place where like-minded people can get together to socialize and tell war stories.\u201d<\/p>\n
Made possible by volunteers, the 1930s-era structure was renovated this year to include a library, a conference room and computer lab. A small collection of books, including Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway; furniture and a television; along with kitchen cabinets and a refrigerator were all made possible by support from private citizens and local businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been fortunate as veterans in this community,\u201d said Darla Sanders, adjutant commander of the local Disabled American Veterans. \u201cThe community support we\u2019ve received has just been awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officials are hopeful three computers will soon be donated to help veterans find employment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to partner with local businesses to recruit veterans for open positions,\u201d said retired Army veteran Robert Valencia. \u201cWhen you hire a vet, you know you\u2019re getting a good employee.\u201d<\/p>\n
Montezuma County Veteran Service Officer Rick Torres reminded veterans that his office would not be moving to the outreach center. Veterans seeking VA benefits should visit Torres at 107 N. Chestnut Street or call him at 564-2779.<\/p>\n