Loving life is a passion we may share even if we don't know one another.
Here in our meandering valley, life is beautiful, interesting, and sometimes uniquely difficult. We know this whether we have een here for five days or fifty years. The mountains draw us in, but the people give us reasons to stay. We build lives alongside one another, through long winters, changing circumstances, and the everyday work of keeping a small community going.
As Veterans Day approaches, I keep coming back to something simple that can feel surprisingly difficult to say publicly: I love you. I mean it. My personal struggle with “RBF” be damned.
I enlisted in the Air Force and volunteered for war more than once. Combat was hell. The pay was minimal. My love for this country and the people in it was not.
That love still shapes how I want to live and serve here, among the veterans and families of Gunnison, Crested Butte, and the smaller communities throughout our valley. This place is a cornucopia of love, life, and the pursuit of happiness.
Veterans Day asks us to stop and recognize those who have served in our armed forces. Its roots reach back to November 11, 1918, when an armistice stopped the fighting on the Western Front. In 1919, the first anniversary was observed as Armistice Day. When Congress made it a legal holiday in 1938, it explicitly dedicated the day to world peace.
That detail is significant to me. Having experienced combat, I find meaning in a day that honors service while holding on to the hope of peace.
After World War II and the Korean War, veterans service organizations urged Congress to broaden the observance. In 1954, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, honoring American veterans of all wars. Veterans themselves helped make room for those who served after them.
I want to carry that generosity forward here in our valley. No matter which generation someone belongs to or where they served, they deserve to know there is room for them here.
While Memorial Day centers on those who died in military service, Veterans Day gives us a particular opportunity to thank the living. People we can still call. People we can invite to sit beside us. People whose lives are still unfolding and whose input to our communities continues.
Before this chapter of my life, I worked with federal wounded warrior programs. Those experiences formed how I support veterans today. They continue to remind me to pay attention to the person in front of me, rather than assume I understand someone because we share a connection to military service.
A shared uniform does not mean a shared experience. Service can bring pride, purpose, friendship, pain, or feelings that are hard to put into words. Sometimes those things exist together. Each person deserves room to tell their own story—or to keep arts of it private.
I am proud of our veterans. I also want to know how they are doing now. What matters to them? What do they hope for? Where could a little support make life easier?
I get to serve veterans in this valley. I am honored by that opportunity, and I want my work to reflect it.
In a rural mountain community, caring for one another has to become practical. A long drive, a winter storm, or the difficulty of asking for help can stand between someone and what they need. Sometimes support means helping someone find a resource or work through paperwork. Sometimes it means giving a ride, making a phone call, or following through after saying, “Let mesee what I can do.”
Sometimes it means making sure someone has a place at the table without making them explain why they need one.
We can do that for one another here. We can notice who has been missing. We can ask a question and make time for the answer. We can welcome a veteran who has just arrived and check on someone who has lived here for decades.
We can remember that veterans belong to every generation and come from many different backgrounds. Some served in combat; others served elsewhere. But no matter where, it’s still service in uniform. Some speak openly about their military years. Others rarely mention them. Our gratitude should include all of them.
While Veterans Day honors those who have served, I also hold love and gratitude for those currently serving and for the families living with the demands of military life.
To the veterans throughout this valley: I am glad you are here. I am proud to share this community with you. Whatever your next chapter holds, I hope you know you have neighbors who care about being part of it.
We don't have to know one another well to start caring. We can start with a conversation, an invitation, or an offer we intend to keep.
That is how I want to honor Veterans Day here with deep appreciation spoken out loud, and with love that finds something useful to do.
Stephen Otero is the Gunnison County Veteran Services Officer and can be reached at: 970-641-7919 or sotero@gunnisoncounty.org.
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