Retired Air Force captain finds new mission at Colorado Freedom Memorial
On the outskirts of Buckley Space Force Base, the hum of a power washer cuts through the quiet. Gary Smith primes the machine, then pauses to check the glass panels before he begins.
"I have to be really careful of the glass," he says, leaning in with the same precision he once used in the cockpit of a jet trainer.
Nearly every month, the retired U.S. Air Force captain hauls his tools to the Colorado Freedom Memorial in Aurora. Each time, Smith spends time scrubbing, painting, and repairing the monument that honors more than 6,000 Coloradans killed or missing in action.
"It's just really important to have it proper and well cared for, for the people that visit," Smith said.
The memorial, dedicated in 2013, stands as a striking tribute near Buckley. Its glass panels reflect Colorado's mountains and blue skies, etched with names grouped by war. More than a name on a wall, the memorial honors sacrifice and service. For families who never had a grave to visit, this place is sacred ground. And for Smith, it's personal.
One of those names belongs to his wife's cousin, James Spinuzzi, a Marine killed in Vietnam in 1968.
"His name is on panel 21," Smith said softly.
For Smith, caring for the memorial is more than volunteer work. It's a continuation of a lifelong commitment to service, one that began decades before the monument ever stood.
"It was the plan, really, all along," Smith said of his decision to join the military.
With a father and stepfather who both served, Smith enrolled in ROTC at Colorado State University and trained to become a pilot.
"That's one of the first times I stepped in one of these things," he said, pointing to a photo of himself beside a T-38 jet trainer. "It was a thrill, an absolute thrill."
Smith graduated and was commissioned in 1974, just as the Vietnam War was ending.
"The good news and bad news, all the flight crews came home ... which was a very good thing," he said. "But they didn't need more pilots."
His active-duty career lasted just over a year, but Smith stayed in uniform as a reservist, working in IT at Lowry Air Force Base.
"I grew up in Pueblo, went to school in Fort Collins, and got stationed at Lowry. So I saw the world ... or the Front Range," he said with a laugh.
Though his military path stayed close to home, his heart for service took him across the globe. In 2000, Smith traveled to Normandy for a Memorial Day tribute, planting Colorado flags at the graves of 88 fallen servicemen.
"It's the most emotional and moving place you could ever visit," he said. "Just being able to do that and walk the cemetery and see each one of those names — which are on the wall here — it stays with you."
That trip inspired something lasting: a place in Colorado to honor the fallen. Since the Colorado Freedom Memorial's dedication, Smith has been there, quietly caring for every panel and every name.
"It's rewarding," he said. "It's just kind of a way to continue serving. I'm not sure what the fit would've been after the military to serve, but this is what presented itself, and it's been perfect."
KELLY WERTHMANN
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