Veterans Urge First Lady Biden to Support Designation of Camp Hale – Continental Divide National Monument
Today we sent a letter to our friend and champion, Dr. Jill Biden, encouraging her to support our efforts to see the Camp Hale – Continental Divide National Monument created. We also invited to to join us on a hike to see this magnificent place up close.
Text of letter:
Dr. Jill Biden
First Lady of the United States The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
N.W. Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear First Lady Biden,
Any letter to you that begins without first acknowledging your unwavering commitment to veterans and military families would be sent in error. I am beyond appreciative of the support and commitment that you, a Blue Star Mother, have constantly provided to our shared community, beginning long before you became First Lady.
I write today with a request. Recently, Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, Governor Jared Polis, and Congressman Joe Neguse sent a letter to the president urging him to use his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate the Camp Hale – Continental Divide National Monument. We write today to urge you to support this request.
This is a campaign Vet Voice Foundation has supported for years and is of vital interest to veteran and military families, not only in Colorado, but throughout the country.
Few places embody the true connection between veterans and our nation’s public lands more than Camp Hale. Camp Hale was originally used as a cold-weather training area for the U.S. Army during World War II. Following the war, veterans who trained at Camp Hale, particularly veterans of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division, helped launch the ski industry and modern outdoor recreation economy of Colorado. Furthermore, Camp Hale has become a treasured spot for reflection, reunion, and recreation for veterans and non-veterans alike.
But it’s under threat. Which is why, like the elected officials mentioned above, I, along with my fellow veterans and military family members, urge the president to permanently protect this awe-inspiring and culturally significant landscape.
Moreover, and very understanding of your busy schedule, I would like to invite you to join me, along with a group of local Colorado veterans, on a hike at Camp Hale to see this spectacular example of America’s public lands up close.
You and President Biden understand our community so well because you are a part of it. I’m beyond appreciative, not only of your consideration of my requests, but also of the steadfast devotion you’ve shown and continue to show every single day to those who have worn our nation’s uniform and to our families.
Respectfully,
Janessa Goldbeck
USMC Veteran
CEO, Vet Voice Foundation