On November 19th, I began my 21st month as State Captain of the Colorado PGR, which is comprised of the finest group of people with which I have ever been associated. I have been honored to have had this association for almost 15 years. As I look back on the past 20 months, I would like to make mention of the most recent mission that I attended. On Thanksgiving Eve, fourteen of our members gathered at Fort Logan National Cemetery to honor a veteran who died too young, at age 67. Under somewhat special circumstances, a number of groups came together in order to insure that this veteran received all the honors that he earned during his service to our Country. This included the Funeral Home personnel, Fort Logan, the US Marine Corps Honors Team, the All Veterans Honor Guard, the Honor Bell and the Colorado Patriot Guard. Although this service had a unique back story, it was not unlike the hundreds of services for which our members have stood, throughout the State, since Mach 19, 2020, the day I assumed the role of State Captain.
My tenure has had a few challenges, such as dealing with the Coronavirus and the social unrest that impacted some of our Colorado communities and the ultimate impact these issues had on how we responded to mission and event requests. But, the greatest difficulty that we all had to face was the death of nine of our members during the past year, however, we can be thankful for the time we had with them and the positive impact they had on our lives and the lives of others. Also, a number of our members battled the Coronavirus and, thankfully, have recovered or are recovering.
I am honored and humbled to be associated with so many patriots who have been unwavering in their support of our mission. This has been the busiest period that I can remember, yet, we continue to get outstanding support from our long term members and a number of new members have joined our ranks, as well.
I realize that some of our members have not been able to participate during the pandemic due to issues with elderly or at risk family members and we continue to wish them well.
I could not be more thankful for the support that has been provided by our committed and honorable members and leaders and I wish the best to you and your families during the Holiday season that is now underway.
Blessings to you all. Jim Herstein Serving as Colorado PGR State Captain with Pride
That is so well written Jim. Thank you for all that you do for the Veterans and for sharing all of the pertinent insights, stories and history that you come up with. We all have so much to be thankful for, to reflect upon and to remember on this day. Wishing you and Wanda a great and Happy Thanksgiving. Barb n Dick 🦃. 🇺🇸