COLORADO SPRINGS — The el Paso County Veteran's Service Office has opened nominations for 2022. Every year, the group selects 4 finalists and one winner for the title.
“You talk to a lot of veterans and you ask us ‘who's the fastest, who's the strongest' and we'll say ‘we are'. But if you ask them ‘who's the bravest, who's the most honorable' they'll want to point to somebody else," says Duane France.
France won the award for Veteran of the Year in 2019. He served 22 years in the army before retiring and says that the ideas you learn during Service don't end so easily.
“This is something that a lot of service members who are in the military, they feel a lot of personal satisfaction, purpose, and meaning as we describe it when you're in the military… that doesn't go away when you take the uniform off," he said.
If you want to learn more about the award or nominate someone that you know, you can visit this link.
France, during our interview, had a message for viewers and readers.
"If you know a veteran who's doing outstanding things, and even if they don't feel like they should be recognized… if you feel like they should be recognized for their work, absolutely, put their name in for the nomination," he said.
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