Honoring Our Veterans

The History of Veterans Day

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m.

Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

 

Resources

Fort Logan National Cemetery  https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/ftlogan.asp

Pikes Peak National Cemetery    https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/PikesPeak.asp

Veterans Memorial Cemetery   https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dmva/veterans-memorial-cemetery-1

 

Remember and Honor
Collects and records veterans' stories and archives at local library and Library of Congress
Brad.hoopes@rememberandhonor.com
Phone: (970) 631-2027
Learn more at http://rememberandhonor.com

Military Honors

Honor Bell Foundation
Laurie Kuntz, Interim Executive Director
Non-profit organization that presents Bell Honors ceremony for veteran burials at Fort Logan and Pikes Peak National Cemeteries.
Request Bell Honors: https://www.honorbell.org/requests
Phone 720.314.6998
Learn more at www.honorbell.org

Patriot Guard Riders
Founded in 2005 to shield families of fallen heroes from those that would disrupt the funeral services of their loved one, the Patriot Guard honors first responders as well as our military veterans.
To request PGR for services in Colorado, State Captain Jim Herstein: Jwherst@aol.com or 303-518-8790
Learn more at https://www.patriotguard.org/

 

Rocky Mountain Honor Flight  https://rockymountainhonorflight.org/

Wreaths Across America  https://wreathsacrossamerica.org/

Assistance for Deceased Military Retirees  https://www.buckley.af.mil/Units/Retiree-Activities-Office/

Veterans Plaza, Fort Collins  https://veteransplazanoco.org/

Colorado Freedom Memorial  https://coloradofreedommemorial.com/

War Rose Memorial Garden  http://www.ssprd.org/war-memorial-rose-garden

Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum   http://www.broomfieldveterans.org/

The Greatest Generations Foundation  https://www.tggf.org/

Wounded Warrior Project  https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

 

Honors Burial Project

In the state of Colorado, there is a new way that funeral services can help serve their country. In March 2020, Colorado’s Congressional Act HB20-1051 was signed into law and came into effect in the same year.


Under the title “Identification Of Veteran Remains For Proper Military Burial,” the law was created in order to give unclaimed cremated veterans the military burial that they are entitled to. This law was prompted at the behest of a veteran who approached a state representative with concerns about how there were many cremated remains that go unclaimed and was concerned that many veterans who have options for burial were being neglected. This bill gained enormous traction within the Colorado legislature, being co-sponsored by over half of the House of Representatives and almost half of the Senators.


Within the requirements of this law, veterans associations can approach any Colorado Funeral facility that deals with cremains and request the list of names of any that have been left unclaimed. With this list, the veterans association will then submit the names to the National Military Personnel center, in order to discern any military service among them. For any veterans found, they can be claimed by the veterans association which will arrange for the remains to be given a military burial with honors in a national cemetery.


Currently, chapter 1071 of the Vietnam Veterans of America is in the process of requesting names and providing burials for unclaimed members of the military in the Denver area. They can be reached by contacting Jim Topkoff at jtopkoff@comcast.net. For those on the Western Slope, please reach out to Missing-In-America representative Mike Shults, mshults1@hotmail.com. Alternatively, you can reach out to a National Cemetery. In order to connect to Fort Logan National Cemetery, please contact the director, Michael Brophy at Michael.Brophy@va.gov. To contact Pikes Peak National Cemetery, call 719-391-6920.
   
This information is provided by the Honors Burial Project, a collaboration between the University of Denver and the Vietnam Veterans of America. For more information or if your organization wishes to be a part of the Honors Burial Project, please contact Carol.Helstosky@du.edu