Letters to the editor
Living and working in Eagle for the past nine years, I’ve witnessed the wonderful work the Eagle Fire Department performs daily. On snowy days, I consistently see firefighters shoveling driveways, porches, walkways and sidewalks for the elderly in our community, which warms my heart and makes me proud to live in Eagle. In an age when everyone seems so busy, our local fire department always remembers to do what is right.Every Labor Day, I’m humbled, and touched, to see the entire department out soliciting donations in Eagle to fight muscular dystrophy in the “Fill the Boot” campaign. While most of us are relaxing with our families on this holiday, these wonderful men and women volunteer to stand in the hot sun all day to ensure disabled children have a brighter future. Recently, I needed our two infant car seats checked for proper, safe installation. Chief Jon Asper and the lovely young man who helped me couldn’t have been more friendly, helpful, or thorough. The Greater Eagle Fire Department was the only agency listed on a car seat check given to us that read “stop by at any time.” They have taken the time to have so many people at their department trained to properly install these tricky devices that literally any time, day or night, there is someone on staff who knows how to properly install them.While I do not know these people personally, I am thrilled these dedicated firefighters make our community safer. I can’t imagine what we’d do without them risking their lives on our behalf during fires and accidents. Thank you to the brave men and women of the Eagle Fire Department: You are special people. Eagle residents, please take time to thank them for making our town a better place to live. Surely they can’t ever receive enough gratitude. May God bless and keep our firefighters safe.Nicole DewellEagleThe context”Seniors have an obligation to die” is a quote inaccurately attributed to former Gov. Dick Lamm by a recent Tipsline caller. The correct remark is that we all have a “duty to die”… a small but significant difference in context and tone.The comment was made many years ago during discussions on the proper role of government in funding health care for the terminally ill. Should the government stop paying after $100,000 is spent; $200,000? Or should the government pay indefinitely, possibly into the millions of public dollars, to keep a terminally ill patient alive artificially to the extent of modern medicine? This is a real world issue involving difficult choices. (What would you decide?) And although made in the context of these discussion, the “duty to die” remark was an awkward choice of words, a fact Gov. Lamm has had to acknowledge frequently over the years.But give the good governor credit. He was never afraid to bring issues of public concern into the open arena, particularly if they involved the expenditure of public funds. How much can the government spend, who should benefit and who should pay… for how long and under what premise? What is the proper matrix for government? Do we want massive government programs with high taxes or do we prefer limited public programs with diminished tax obligations?And give the good governor additional credit. He was not afraid to address illegal immigration, abortion, teen pregnancy, the care of those with special needs, crime, rape, population control, family planning, welfare, environment, the low graduation rates of Hispanic kids, and the like. These are emotional if not incendiary subjects that almost all politicians are loathe to acknowledge and certainly not in public. He thought opinions of the common citizen were on par with if not superior to those of the professional politicians. Often introspective, Gov. Lamm was quick to admit mistakes or errors in his judgment, as contrasted to our current President, who when asked recently at a town hall meeting if he had made any mistakes during his first four years in office responded that no, he couldn’t think of any.How ironic that such a good and capable public servant like Gov. Lamm would be remembered after all these decades for a simple three worded statement … and he’s even misquoted at that. “Duty to die” indeed.Montgomery (Mike) MathiasVailFarewell, friendsTo my fallen comrades: Through life we must realize how precious time is every day here on Earth, and what it means to live life as if every day is our last. We now come to a time when we must grieve for the fallen young men whom God has chosen to be his soldiers. How do loved ones cope with such a tragedy, and such loss? That is when we look into the heavens, God’s word, or our own beliefs for the answer. Along this journey of life we learn to live with the good, and yes, even the bad. Only sometimes we don’t understand why things happen the way they do. Why is the sky blue? Why do the beaches have sand? And why do people pass on in life? All these questions do come with answers. It’s when we don’t have the answers to them that we, only as human beings, start to question our own beliefs, our purpose, and even God. The answers we seek can only be given to us by the almighty. Maybe not in this life, but when we are eventually walking with him on streets paved with gold God has laid before us all a great plan for this life. Now with my two fallen comrades gone, I realize that this was part of his great plan for them. Even if I don’t know why or understand. They have become part of God’s great army of soldiers in heaven.In this time of despair, I too am feeling the loss of two great friends. Even as I write this letter, the tears fall, my heart hurts, and I also ask why? Together we all must be strong, for they would not want us to weep for them or be sad. They would want us to continue on in life and live it to it’s full extent. Until the time we are reunited with them, we can use the memories of the good times to remind us how precious they will always be to us all. I still hear their laughter, I still see their faces, and still feel them very near. They have not gone far, they have only been given eternal life with God.To the families who now mourn, my prayers, thoughts and comfort go out to you all in your time of great need. As for my fallen comrades, ride the clouds for me, and may God accept you into his loving arms. You will never be forgotten, your spirit will always live on through your family, your friends, and me as well. I will always miss you, think of the good times and hold you both close. So until we see each other again in Heaven. Be our guardian angels. Your bro, John Boy.Jonathan Lee KreykenbohmVail, Colorado
