Colorado legislature honors veterans of the "forgotten war"
The Korean War is often called the forgotten war, and you need look no further than the Colorado State Capitol to understand why. For at least 30 years, state lawmakers have celebrated Military Appreciation Day to honor the service and sacrifice of Colorado's 340,000 veterans and 47,000 active-duty members of the military. They've brought resolutions commemorating World War II, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War, along with Latino, Native American and African American veterans. But until now, there has never been a resolution to honor those who served in the Korean War.
"It's been 75 years and it's about time," said state Rep. Rebecca Keltie.
Keltie and state Rep. Matthew Martinez -- both veterans themselves -- sponsored the first Colorado resolution to honor Korean War veterans, along with state Sen. Lisa Frizell and state Sen. Lisa Cutter.
The sacrifices made were tremendous and the pain and loss endured by the families across this nation cannot be measured," said Martinez.
Keltie's dad, Leon Ross, was among those who sacrificed and "was one of the greatest men I've ever known."
Like most Korean War veterans, Ross is no longer alive.
Dick Robinson and Wayne Tobey are among the few left. They were in the House chamber at the Colorado State Capitol on Friday for the recognition.
Tobey was a radio operator credited with saving a fellow airman's life. Robinson was an infantryman who received the silver star, bronze star, and purple heart.
His service didn't stop when he returned, "I'm still a lifetime board member of Regis University, Mountain States Employers Council, and the Boy Scouts."
He also started the iconic Robinson Dairy with his brother and helped bring the Colorado Rockies here.
"I did a lot in my life," Tobey said.
But at 95 years old, he says the war still haunts him every day. A total of 36,000 Americans died.
"My battery was hit very heavily," Robinson said. "I lost eight men and one of them was my closest friend and you never forget it."
Lawmakers said they, too, would never again forget the sacrifice of Korean War veterans.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Walz calls special session with lots of work in short timeframe
The Brief Gov. Walz has called for a special session on Monday, three weeks after the regular session ended without a complete budget agreement. Republicans' push to cut undocumented adults out of MN Care will travel in a standalone bill, not in the health bill. But the health bill will include a provision that the Department of Health gets no funding if the standalone bill doesn't become law. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - It took 18 days, but Minnesota finally has a special session scheduled to finish a budget and avoid a government shutdown. One and only Monday is the big day and, if things go as planned, the only day. Legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz hammered out some details on what they said were the hardest bills to hash for instance, the Republican plan to cut MN Care for undocumented adults will be a standalone bill, not in the health the health bill will include language saying the Department of Health gets no funding unless that standalone bill and guarantees like that have them very close to the finish line. Short timeline House leaders Lisa Demuth and Melissa Hortman walked to the podium together Friday, poised to start a sprint to the finish line.A signed agreement shows the 14 bills they plan to pass in 21 hours starting Monday at 10 a.m., including a new bill and another previously on life support. "There will be a standalone data center bill and there will a bonding bill and so since some of those pieces came together pretty late last night," said Speaker Emerita Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park). Data centers will lock in some tax breaks for 35 years in exchange for losing an exemption on electricity. In total, the 2026-27 budget will cut about $5 billion from the last two years and leave almost a $2 billion surplus. Getting there hasn't come easy. "You'll hear that not everybody is happy about every part of it, and that's to be expected," said Speaker of the House Demuth (R-Cold Spring). Winds of change? And the bills could still change. County commissioners blasted the transportation agreement Friday for taking half their regional sales tax proceeds and giving it to the Met Council for Bus Rapid Transit projects. "I truly feel at multiple levels our partnership between the state and the local government is being betrayed and broken," said Scott County Commissioner Jody Brennan. Amendments are still possible, but all four legislative leaders and Gov. Walz would have to agree on any changes from now on."As far as other land mines, there could always be, but I feel confident in the agreements that we have," said Demuth. The special session agreement calls for them to get everything done in one day, which technically means they can go until 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Leaders say they can get it done, but it's possible they'll still need more time, which would bring about a whole new set of problems. Delayed for now Because a government shutdown would be 21 days away, furlough notices are supposed to go out to every non-essential state worker on Monday. But legislative leaders and the governor are working with unions to push that back a day.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Musk floats ‘The American Party' after Trump tiff
Elon Musk floated a new political party on Friday after falling out with President Trump over the big, beautiful bill. He launched a Thursday poll on the social platform X, which he owns, asking about whether or not the country needed a new faction for political nominees. 'The people have spoken. A new political party is needed in America to represent the 80% in the middle! And exactly 80% of people agree. This is fate,' Musk wrote, citing numbers from his survey. He followed up with a potential name for the group, 'The America Party.' In recent days, Musk has railed against Trump for suggesting the United States increase its national debt by $4 trillion as proposed in the bill. The tech giant said it 'undermines' all the work he did at the Department of Government Efficiency, geared towards reducing government spending. However, Trump said the Tesla CEO was mad over slashes to electric vehicle incentives instead of other clauses in the legislation. 'Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here. … He had no problem with it,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. 'All of a sudden he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the EV mandate, because that's billions and billions of dollars,' he added. Still, Musk, who served as a White House adviser for over 100 days in the Trump administration, backed a call for Trump to be impeached and replaced by his own vice president. The president has publicly questioned Musk's motives for slamming his leadership right after leaving his role in the administration. 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' Musk also credited himself for Republicans' successful trifecta in November capturing the White House, in addition to majorities in the House and Senate. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk said in a post on his social platform X. 'Such ingratitude,' he added. Florida Republican Rep. Jimmy Patronis cast doubt on Musk's claim of creating 'The America Party' in Friday comments, suggesting the two will be 'hanging around again' shortly. 'Elon Musk is not gonna create a new political party,' Patronis told NewsNation's Blake Burman during an appearance on 'The Hill.' 'Trump knows that sometimes you're going to have falling out with those that you trust, you like, that you're friends with. It happens with us in DC all the time. So again. Mark my words. About a month from now, these guys will be hanging around again. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Activists protest possible Medicaid cuts outside KS Rep. Derek Schmidt's Topeka office
TOPEKA (KSNT) — Kansans are speaking out against lawmakers who are voting to cut Medicaid. The GOP-led One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed the US House by a razor thin margin. 215 House members voted to pass it, while 214 voted against it. Local Kansas activists are calling out Rep. Derek Schmidt, a Republican who voted to pass the bill. A group of protesters gathered outside of Schmidt's office in Topeka Thursday afternoon and expressed concerns about cuts to Medicaid. 'Today is life or death,' protester Dillon Warren said. 'We voted someone in there that we shouldn't have. He doesn't support us.' The Congressional Budget Office estimates that if the bill passes, at least 7 million people will lose Medicaid coverage. For that reason, many Kansas voters are making their voices heard. Chiefs and Royals stadium bill deadline approaching as Kansas and Missouri fight for the teams 'We need Medicaid for medical equipment,' protester Rick Macias said. 'These chairs are $200,000 if not more. So, it's very important that Medicaid sticks around.' 27 News reached out to Schmidt, who was unavailable for comment. A spokesperson for the congressman provided 27 News with a written statement. 'Congressman Schmidt is a strong supporter of Medicaid for people the program is designed to help: those who are disabled, in nursing homes, pregnant, raising small children, or otherwise in need. Unfortunately, some states have abused the program by providing benefits to illegal aliens, millions of healthy young adults who choose not to work, or people who are not eligible to receive taxpayer-funded benefits from the program. That is the main reason why Medicaid spending has exploded by more than 50 percent since just 2019: an unsustainable rate of growth that puts benefits for Americans who need them most at risk. By addressing this abuse of the program, Congressman Schmidt is protecting both the traditional Medicaid recipients who rely on benefits and the taxpayers who pay the bills.' Spokesman for Rep. Derek Schmidt For more Capitol Bureau news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
