Saturday, January 9, 2016  –  
DENVER - Breaking bread is an age-old custom in many cultures that is used to bridge the gap between two groups. For Soldiers from the 207th Public Affairs Detachment, that bread came in the form of pizza and the group they were sharing it with were veterans living at the Colorado State Veterans Home at Fitzsimmons in Denver, Jan. 9.

Veterans young and old swapped war stories and spent the afternoon in the facility designed to house veterans who need assistance with their day-to-day lives. The 10 Soldiers from the 207th as well as the nearly two dozen veterans took turns talking about how the military used to be and how it is today.

“These men and women served in a time when they had great camaraderie,” said Sgt. 1st Class Steve Segin, noncommissioned officer in charge for the 207th PAD. For us, it’s great to come here and share that experience with them and help them feel that camaraderie again.”

Long after the last slice of pizza was served, the Soldiers of the 207th listened to the stories from veterans of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam talk about their days in uniform. 

“This is an amazing experience to see the young people serving today doing what they do best,” said Richard Moreno, an Army Air Corps and Air Force veteran who has been living at the Fitzsimmons home for six months now.

The needs of the veterans living at the Colorado State Veterans home vary from help with basic day-to-day activities to more intensive care, but the thread that bonds each is the ties of service. 

“We’re all brothers and sisters in arms,” said Sgt. Aaron Rognstad, a public affairs specialist with the 207th PAD. “It doesn’t matter if they served one year ago or 100 years ago, we all share that special bond of service to our country. It’s great to spend time with people like that.”