Huerfano County honors individual veterans

Huerfano County, Colo. has been honoring one individual veteran every week for nearly two years

Huerfano County, Colorado doesn’t just celebrate Veterans Day, it celebrates individual veterans’ days. Since early 2016, the county Board of Commissioners has passed one resolution a week honoring an individual veteran who lives in the county. 

"We were recognizing athletes for going to state for wrestling, so there’s no reason not to give veterans the same honor for what they’ve done for our country,” said County Manager John Galusha.  

The county frames certificates bearing the veteran’s resolution from the Board of Commissioners. A report from the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs has listed 880 veterans in the county of 6,700.  The county prioritizes World War II and Korean War veterans, but through early November the county had honored 160 different servicemen.

Every third Tuesday of the month, commissioners go to the Colorado State Veterans’ Community Living Center and dedicate a day to four or five veterans living there.

“We don’t have many World War II vets left, so we want to make sure we get to them,” Galusha said. “The reactions are incredible — it’s really emotional. There’s a lot of humble acceptance that gives way to tears from them and their families.

“It’s an emotional force.”