On Memorial Day, Senator Michael Bennet met with 10th Mountain Division veterans of World War II and announced that he would be supporting a proposal to designate Camp Hale as the nation’s first National Historic Landscape.

Tucked in a high mountain valley south of Minturn in Eagle County, Camp Hale was the home base for that famed unit. Thousands of troops of the 10th Mountain Division trained intensely at rock climbing, skiing, and other mountaineering skills at Camp Hale and in the surrounding mountains before distinguishing themselves in the mountainous battles of the invasion of Italy in World War II.

For many Colorado veterans like myself, the historical importance of Camp Hale is complimented by the current importance of protecting the mountains and watersheds around it where we recreate, reflect, and receive our drinking water. Senator Bennet’s proposal to make the designation part of the effort to protect other special public lands in Eagle and Summit Counties as part of the Continental Divide Wilderness and Recreation Act is one that deserves our support.

Future generations will be grateful for our effort, just as we are eternally grateful to the Camp Hale veterans who fought to protect our lands.

Andy J. Marquez

Grand Junction