Hundreds Flock to Memorial Day Ceremony at Woodland Park Graveyard
~By Trevor Phipps~
Photos By Tommy Allen
“Freedom is not free.”
That acclaimed saying especially resonates during the Memorial Day holiday as citizens across the nation remember those who lost their lives to keep the country free.
This tradition often hits the Teller high country and Pikes Peak region hard due to the area’s large military-based veteran population. Many residents spend their Memorial weekend taking time to honor those who died while fighting for the country. For several days, throngs of volunteers are spotted traversing the local cemeteries in a detailed effort to place an American flag on the graves of everyone who has fought for the country.
The actual Memorial Day is then highlighted by a variety of local tributes.
This year, a ceremony was held early in the morning at Woodland Park’s Lions Park to place American flags. The signature Memorial Day event, though, occurred several hours later at the Woodland Park Cemetery during a special ceremony that attracted a huge crowd, and featured speeches from elected leaders and officials and veteran group representatives across the county. In fact, this gathering has become one of the largest local veteran memorial events crowd-wise to honor local military heroes and special people citizens have lost to various wars throughout our nation’s history.
The event started oddly enough with a brief description of the rather complicated history of the Memorial Day holiday. The holiday first came about after the end of the Civil War, as the nation lost more than 600,000 soldiers. Over the years, the date and name of the holiday have changed, but the purpose remains the same: to honor those who never made it home.
Teller County Commission Chairman Dan Williams sparked emotions during a recent meeting when he told a story of friends and fellow soldiers he had lost during combat. When Williams took the stage on Memorial Day, he said that he couldn’t look at two of the fellow veterans in attendance without getting emotional.
This year the ceremony was situated around a certain grave to honor a veteran of the Great War (World War I). Artie Spielman fought in World War I before he relocated to Woodland Park. Spielman passed away in 1968 and was buried at the Woodland Park cemetery.
After Williams gave a tribute speech, he then introduced every mayor in Teller County to give them an opportunity address the crowd. Woodland Park Mayor Kellie Case, who has attended the gathering for a number of years, was the first area mayor to make comments.
“Memorial Day is a solemn occasion,” Case said. “It is a time for reflection not just on our history, but on the courage, the sacrifice and the selflessness of the men and women in uniform who never came home. Today we honor them not just as soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, but as sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, members of families and communities like ours. Here in Woodland Park, we are proud of our deep roots in service and patriotism. We are a city that supports our veterans’ values, our military families and members that have fallen not just today, but every single day.”
Southern Teller Representatives Join the Ceremony
This year, the ceremony featured more wide-spread participation, including key leaders and representatives of the southern Teller area.
Cripple Creek Mayor Annie Durham, who also works with the Cripple Creek and Victor RE-1 School District, addressed the crowd and spoke about the real meaning of the holiday.
“Memorial Day weekend for many is a party weekend,” Durham said. “It is the end of the school year and the unofficial start to summer. And for many, Memorial Day today is simply just an extra day off from work. But for all of us gathered here in this moment, and ceremonies like this all over the country, this is an opportunity of a solemn remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice and did not come home. And it is because of that sacrifice that we have the freedom to spend this day and any day as we choose. We must always remember, and we must never forget.”
Victor Mayor Barabara Manning was also present at the ceremony. However, Victor City Administrator Bobby Tech took the opportunity to officially speak for the City of Mines.
“We are just excited to be here to be able to honor the folks who have laid such a strong foundation for us all to build on here in Teller County,” Tech said. “There’s no doubt that this county and this state wouldn’t be where we are today if the people before us hadn’t fought for the rights and freedoms we enjoy today. So, we are just really thankful and excited to take a moment to remember them and appreciate their sacrifices so that we can all go on in service of the things they fought for and build a country they sought to build.”
Following the speeches, each city representative placed a bouquet of flowers on Spielman’s grave. At the end of the ceremony, the song “Taps” was played on a trumpet before the emotional rifle salute was given to honor the fallen veterans.
“There are 350,000 veterans that call Colorado home,” Williams said. “If you take each one of those veterans and just take one year in combat, think about the things that affect you as you look back on your life: the death of somebody, the birth of somebody. Look at these gentlemen and women around here who have been to war and then think about folks that they saw not come home. You can’t get it out of your head. It means so much to stand with each and every one of you today to help us mourn, but to also help us honor. Because this is about those who I call the forever young.”
