US Service Life Sept Oct 2013 | Page 5

Welcome to U.S. Service Life in the Pikes Peak Region. I’ve always had great respect for our armed forces; my dad was a Marine, my grandfathers were both Army and Navy and my stepfather Air Force. To say this made for interesting family get together conversations is an understatement. The razzing and banter that went on, especially between my dad and his dad was…well let’s just say, spirited! I was young when my dad served during the Vietnam War. We often wrote letters to each other, or rather, I should say, I scribbled letters to my dad and I played the Marine Hymn on our family organ when he came home. Born and raised on Long Island, I moved to Colorado Springs about two and a half years ago and it gave me the opportunity to tour the bases, meet the soldiers, their wonderful families and the civilians who’ve dedicated their life to serving our military. I’ve learned more about various programs available to those who are serving and I graduated from Major General Joe Anderson’s Fort Carson Leadership Seminar II in July 2012 and it has become very personal. The Pikes Peak region is home to five major military installations including Fort Carson, the area’s top employer, followed by three Air Force installations, Peterson Air Force Base, Schriever Air Force Base and NORAD and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, and the U.S. Air Force Academy. According to recent statistics, more than 40,000 active duty service members, 73,000 plus family members and 100,000 plus veterans are in this area. The Pikes Peak region is home to one of the highest concentrations of service members in the nation. This publication is my small way of saying thank you to all of our service members, past, present and future and to all the service member families. This publication is dedicated to you, the active duty, guard, reserve members, retirees, and military family members and businesses that support our military in this beautiful Pikes Peak region. We hope you find our featured articles and their departments ranging from family fun, education and profiles, to living and working in the Pikes Peak Region interesting and our future resource section filled with information and tips helpful. If you know of a resource that should be listed, drop us a line and let us know. All the best, Kathleen LIFE U.S. SERVICE PIKES PEAK REGION 1