Bob Johnson doesn’t sport a yellow “Support Our Troops” sticker on his vehicle. Instead, the Glenwood Springs Realtor is showing his support with hot springs, caverns, ski trails and fishing streams.
Johnson oversees “Operation Vacation,” a program that brings soldiers and their families, who have been separated by duty in Iraq, to Glenwood Springs for a weekend of enjoying all the town offers. The mini-vacation is donated by business owners who have agreed to fete the visitors with everything from ice cream cones to loaner Cadillacs and spelunking adventures to relaxing soaks.
Johnson is making that happen for one soldier each month. He said he hopes his program will grow to once a week and expand to other towns with lots to offer.
“I live in one of the most beautiful vacation spots in the country, and I would like them to be able to enjoy it,” Johnson said. “We owe them all.”
Operation Vacation was conceived last winter when Johnson was watching holiday television specials devoted to troop support. Johnson first gained approval for the program at Fort Carson, then began soliciting support from local businesses that are popular with visitors to Glenwood Springs.
In August, Pfc. Ian Vanderheide and his wife, Heidi, became the first beneficiaries when they spent a weekend in Glenwood fly-fishing, shopping, hiking, dining out and exploring the Glenwood Caverns.
Vanderheide, 30, had been wounded when the vehicle he was traveling in flipped during a mission in Iraq. He will be returning to Iraq after his broken shoulder heals.
Officials at Fort Carson chose Vanderheide and will select the remainder of the soldiers for the free vacation. Johnson and his team of volunteers do the rest.
Johnson met the Vanderheides at their donated room at the Holiday Inn Express with $100 in cash, Cadillac keys, and a sheaf of information and coupons for all the activities and meals they could cram into one weekend. He said he then left them – with a bottle of champagne – to enjoy their time together.
“It was wonderful. It made me feel really happy,” Ian Vanderheide said.
He said Johnson’s idea may already be taking root in another place. Vanderheide’s father is looking into starting a program in St. Louis, where he lives.
Johnson said more Glenwood Springs businesses have offered to participate in his program and some of those that initially committed to donating services and goods for six months have offered to expand their giving.
Steve Damm, sales manager at Berthod Motors Inc. in Glenwood Springs, said that when Johnson asked, his business had no trouble offering vehicles for the visiting soldiers.
“We thought it was a worthwhile way to reward those soldiers who have seen hard times,” Damm said.
Staff writer Nancy Lofholm can be reached at 970-256-1957 or nlofholm@denverpost.com.
