Teller residents/civic leaders mourn the loss of “Mountain Man” Sam Cablish
Trevor Phipps
However, when U.S. military veterans pass away locally, the community and local veteran organizations come together to ensure the fallen has a proper farewell ceremony.
This is especially true in Teller County, an area known for its strong tradition in recognizing and honoring local veterans.
In late June, local American Legion posts caught word about a little-known local Vietnam veteran named Sam Cablish, who had passed away just before his 84th birthday. Cablish had lived high in the mountains of Teller County for the last three decades. Unfortunately, he had succumbed to a death from natural causes and had no living relatives nearby.
The Teller veteran community searched for relatives of Cablish, and they were able to find a sister of his who lived out of state. But his sister was in her 90s and was in too poor of health to travel to attend a memorial ceremony
But even though Cablish may not have had any family present at his funeral, the chapel at Mountain Memorial Funeral Home in Divide was packed with people on June 28, to give Cablish his official military veteran send-off. Many at the funeral did know Cablish from his days living in the area, but other attendees, including fellow veterans and high-profile members of the community, came to show their support. And this support was present, even though some never got the chance to meet Cablish while he was alive.
Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams, an active leader with the region’s many veteran organizations, played a key role in putting the event together and securing the appearance from an honor guard traveling from Fort Carson. The intent was to give Cablish the official military goodbye with three shots fired into the sky in respect.
Williams, who knew Cablish for more than a decade, led the ceremony and gave the crowd some information about the local Vietnam vet and briefly described some of the horrors Cablish had experienced on the battlefield.
Williams Unveils Tragedies of the Vietnam War
During his eulogy, Williams introduced the crowd to nearly a dozen other Vietnam veterans who were in the audience to pay respects to their military brother. Williams then took some time to give the crowd some facts about the Vietnam conflict. He wanted to give perspective to the challenges Cablish and the other Vietnam vets in the audience had experienced. This is quite personal for Williams, as he frequently discusses a conflict that still is not talked about much, but one that continues to generate haunting memories. Plus, Williams’ own father had served in Vietnam, so the commissioner was quite aware of how many veterans had suffered during this war.
Williams explained that during the lengthy conflict that lasted from August 5,1964 to May 7,1975 more than two million Americans served in Vietnam, with just over 58,000 getting killed and thousands more disabled. Out of those killed in the war, 61 percent were under the age of 21, and more than 11,000 were under 20 and six were only 16 years old.
Williams also gave some facts to compare the Vietnam War with World War II. “What you may not know is that the average infantrymen in the South Pacific (in World War II) in four years saw 40 days of combat,” Williams said. “They were horrific. It resulted in a lot of death in 40 days. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw 240 days of combat in just 365 days.”
He went on to discuss how bad Vietnam veterans were treated after they returned home compared to veterans of other U.S. wars and conflicts. Whereas veterans of other wars were honored, Vietnam veterans weren’t treated with respect when they made it home due to strong anti-Vietnam War sentiment that existed in America.
Williams said that out of all the Vietnam veterans that made it home, about 85 percent of them moved on and lived their lives after the war. The other 15 percent struggled once they came back to the U.S.
Williams said that Cablish was one of the 15 percent who had a rough time upon returning from the war.
The Story of “Mountain Man” Sam Cablish
Cablish served in the Vietnam War, but little is known about him and his life after he returned home. The Vietnam vet reportedly struggled with relationships and had an alcohol problem before seeking peace in the mountains of Teller County.
Cablish lived in tents and old cabins in National Forest lands in the high mountains for a number of years. Williams stated that every time he saw Cablish, the veteran was wearing green camouflaged clothes and carried a knife and a black powder rifle.
Teller County Veteran Services Officer Cynthia Meyer also told the crowd the story of when she first met Cablish. Meyer was working at a bar in Divide, known as the old “Whistle Stop,” now converted into a historic structure recognized by the state, when Cablish would visit her, tell her stories and then request a ride home to the mountains.
A local couple then found Cablish and took him under their wing. The couple gave Cablish a trailer on a piece of land, and looked after him in his final days.
According to Williams, the last time he heard from Cablish occurred through a text message when Williams reached out and asked how the mountain man was doing. “I’m hanging in there like a bobcat in a tree,” was the last thing Williams heard from his fellow veteran friend.
