Photos by Diane Drekmann Left to right, Robert Dimick, Craig Rauwolf, Tom Simpson, and Stan Price were at the Memorial Day ceremony in San Luis on Monday. Left to right, Juan Trujillo, Terry Smith, and Chaplain Chuck Manzaneres participated in the Memorial Day ceremony in San Luis on Monday.

SAN LUIS — Members of American Legion Post No. 142 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 6101 gathered at the San Luis Cemetery on Memorial Day to remember and honor Veterans “who paid with their lives.”

Senior Vice Commander Terry Smith delivered a short speech for those, "fallen dead who paid dearly with their lives...through bombs, disease, starvation, torture...all scattered ashes now."

The fallen were then honored with a two-gun salute. The Veterans of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars place a penny on the grave of each soldier and a flag on each grave in Costilla County cemeteries.

Juan Trujillo, with the American Legion, was there as the oldest Veteran, serving in the US Army in 1957, during the era between the Korean and Vietnam war. He and Chaplain Chuck Manzaneres take care of the Veteran's Memorial in Fort Garland. People can honor their loved ones by placing their name on the wall of the Memorial. To place a name on the wall, call Juan Trujillo at 719-206-0352 by June 15. There is a $50 donation for each name. A person can also email Manzaneres at [email protected].

Senior Vice Commander from the American Legion Terry Smith worked stateside as a nurse. Craig Rauwolf, veteran Outreach Coordinator for Valley-Wide Health Systems, served in the Army from 2005-2013.

Robert Dimick served from 2000-2015 and was in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"I would do it all again," Dimick said.

Stan Price works with disabled vets in an organization called Healing Waters, using fly fishing as a healing therapy for veterans suffering from PTSD.

Price explains, “A navy captain was recovering in Walter Reed Hospital in 2015. He resumed his passion for fly fishing. Other patients at the hospital asked him to teach them how to fish," which led to the creation of Healing Waters.

Fishing has been medically proven to help the effects of PTSD. Price shared, "the running water and fresh air is calming and lowers blood pressure. Fly fishing is a focused activity. It puts PTSD in the background, not forefront. Doctors even recommend fishing because it is a medical benefit and is considered recreational therapy. It grounds people."

For more information, visit online www.healingwaters.org. This is a free program made possible by donations.