State lawmakers to take a field trip to Fort Carson

DENVER • As part of Friday's Military Appreciation Day at the state Capitol, about a third of Colorado's legislators are taking a field trip to Fort Carson.

And many of them will be flying in style - in military helicopters, piloted by servicemen on a routine training exercise.

"Over the years, I've joked around with the Department of Military Affairs, saying, ‘Why don't you just lift us up there? We'll take a chopper.' It ended up that they're doing training anyway, so we decided to just hitchhike," explained House Majority Leader Paul Weissman, D-Louisville, who helped organize the trip.

Of Colorado's 100 legislators, 32 have confirmed they're taking the trip. The lawmakers will be leave Centennial Airport at 1 p.m. and arrive at Fort Carson at 2 p.m. They'll tour the post's urban warfare training area, followed by a bus tour of the entire facility, and then they'll be briefed on various military issues at the base Family Readiness Center.

The day will conclude with a reception hosted by Maj. Gen. Mark Graham, and the legislators will fly back to Centennial at 7 p.m.

The trip is not exactly an afternoon jaunt, however. Colorado's legislators take their relationship with the military community very seriously, and the journey is part of a long-standing tradition of getting out to meet with troops face-to-face.

"We're going to figure out some of the issues we have in common, some of the issues the base has with the surrounding community, and how we can work better together," Weissman said.

In past years, legislators have visited Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora and Peterson Air Force Base, and a number of veterans' homes.

Air Force veteran Rep. Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs, said he's looking forward to "seeing what some of my Army counterparts are doing," and added that as a veteran, he's aiming at helping educate some of his colleagues who never served.

State Rep. Larry Liston said he's looking forward to thanking the troops for their service, and then joked that he's hoping for a simpler pleasure - a few loud explosions.

"I hope I have the opportunity to shoot a few rounds of .50-caliber, or maybe a rocket-propelled grenade," Liston said with a grin"