Fallen veterans — including Aspenite killed in Ukraine War — honored

It’s easy to get caught in the daily strains of everyday life. 

But rarely do these strains include combat on a warzone’s front lines; a reality that sometimes takes the ultimate sacrifice to one’s country. 

On Jan. 5, 2025, Aspen’s Christopher Black, 38, made this sacrifice while fighting to keep democracy around the world. He was killed in action in the Russia-Ukraine War, where he served on an elite team of foreign special forces that worked with the Ukrainian military. 

“Christopher was an incredible human being,” said John, Black’s dad during Monday’s Memorial Day service at Veterans Memorial Park in Aspen, held to honor those who fell while defending the country. “He determined early in life that the only life worth living for him was in service to others.”

Prior to his service in Ukraine, Black served eight years and three combat tours in the U.S. Marine Corps, becoming an elite reconnaissance team leader. He resolved to pursue a medical degree after he served civilians dying for lack of basic medical care while on deployment in Somalia.

He obtained a Master’s of Science in Health Services from Montana State University. Following his education, Black applied his skills assisting medical professionals in Ukraine, at which point he was asked to aid the Ukrainian military, training Ukrainian special forces and serving as CEO of his own team unit. 

“I can’t begin to explain what a beautiful man he was,” John said. 

Black wasn’t the only Roaring Fork Valley veteran to have fought, and died, while serving the U.S. The Memorial Day service also honored Basalt’s Billy Floyd Clark, Glenwood’s James Leland Adkins, Michael Filbert Gonzales, Larry Russell Kennan, and Rifle’s James Richard Smith and Thomas Lynn Griffee, who died fighting in the Vietnam War. 

New Castle’s William H. Dobbs died fighting in the Middle East. Aspen’s Julio L. Caparella, Thomas R. McNeil, and Joseph W. Morgan died fighting in World War II. Aspen’s Peter F. Galligan died fighting in World War I. Aspen’s Edward Kettering Marsh, William Leonard Sanderson, and Danny Gilbert Schwartz died fighting in Vietnam. And Aspen’s James Bionaz died fighting in Korea. 

John said the community can honor Black by reaching out to veterans in need. 

“Saying thank you for your service is not enough,” he said. 

Veterans have suffered 7,057 deaths in combat since 9/11, according to John. In that same time, 30,177 veterans have been lost to suicide. 

“Trauma, mental health, and transitioning to civilian life have all been listed as issues contributing to this tragic total,” John said. “Please support veterans by being proactive in hiring them and digging a little deeper in their emotional state.”

Aspen Fire Protection District Chief Rick Balentine spoke at the service, honoring those “who all stood tall in the face of tyranny and oppression, who fought for justice and peace,” ultimately giving their lives for the country. 

Like soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, Roaring Fork Valley firefighters and first responders understand the commitment it takes to protect others, putting their own lives at risk, Balentine said.

“It is my sincere hope that these same values that are so prevalent amongst our veterans and first responders can also get us through some of the dark political turmoil we are currently in the midst of,” Balentine said, “not only in this country but around the globe.”

“Today, I ask you to remember those (who) have fallen,” he said. “But everyday I would ask you to always put the freedoms they all died for to good use by always standing up for those that may be less privileged, persecuted, or discriminated against simply because of the color of their skin, the language they may speak or their sexual orientation.” 

As Balentine closed his speech, he quoted Mark Twain: “Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.