MONTROSE —Military men and women stood proudly at the Montrose Regional Airport Tuesday, knuckles white as they held the American flag. As fellow soldiers walked through the terminal, they cheered and gave thanks, providing them with the welcome many past war service members never received.
“It touched the heart,” said James Nappier, who was in the Marines in the 1970s and the U.S. Navy from 2001 until he retired in 2005. “This whole trip is a welcome home these guys deserve. Vietnam vets didn’t get a welcome home. I remember those days, but they laid down the pathway and swore it would never happen again and they’ve kept their promise,”
Nappier, who was disabled by a 120 mm mortar, is one of more than a dozen service members who are spending the week in Telluride with friends and family on an all-expense-paid trip provided by American Eagle Airlines and the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program.
Service groups from all over the Western Slope including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Blue Star Mothers and the Patriot Guard Riders, came to show their respect Tuesday as the soldiers departed their plane. People cheered and waved American flags; they hugged, thanked and cried.
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“It touched the heart,” said James Nappier, who was in the Marines in the 1970s and the U.S. Navy from 2001 until he retired in 2005. “This whole trip is a welcome home these guys deserve. Vietnam vets didn’t get a welcome home. I remember those days, but they laid down the pathway and swore it would never happen again and they’ve kept their promise,”
Nappier, who was disabled by a 120 mm mortar, is one of more than a dozen service members who are spending the week in Telluride with friends and family on an all-expense-paid trip provided by American Eagle Airlines and the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program.
Service groups from all over the Western Slope including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Blue Star Mothers and the Patriot Guard Riders, came to show their respect Tuesday as the soldiers departed their plane. People cheered and waved American flags; they hugged, thanked and cried.
Member of the Blue Star Mothers Anna Boden said she’ll never forget. Her
son joined the military at 20 years old; he was welcomed home just weeks
ago.“It’s my honor to be here for them. It’s the least I can do for what they’ve
seen, been through and will go through,” she said. “There are things they’ll
live with the rest of their life, branded with nightmares. That’s why we should
support them. Whether I agree with President Bush or not, it doesn’t
matter.”
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