Denver was my first long-term assignment in a western USA city. It was a brand new, somewhat scary experience for both me and Marjorie. A long way from South Carolina and home for her. I was an Air Force captain, just returned from Vietnam. We arrived with a 4-year-old daughter, Christine and 3-year-old son, Jim. We left four years later with an 8-year-old daughter, 7-year-old son and, yes, another 3-year-old son, Jeffrey. Jeff was born there in 1971.

We moved into a small apartment at a neat, sorta yuppie, 70’s apartment complex called the Canyon Club. Address: 6495 Happy Canyon Rd. Sounds Beaver Cleaverish, doesn’t it? It was not like “the Beve.” A few unmarried couples were neighbors and gossip swirled about adult antics at the Club House near the swimming pool. The “zero population growth” movement was active among the environmentalists in our community. We were sometimes scolded by neighbors for daring to have a third child. Ain’t people grand?

The kids and us all enjoyed the Canyon Club pool. The pool season was a bit short however. Summer is scarce and winter is long in Colorado. We all also enjoyed touring the wonderful Rocky Mountain Scenery, and the Denver area was blessed with lots of interesting things to do. Marjorie even tried skiing, Once. I never had the desire. Too clumsy and chicken.

Almost all my nine-year military experience to this point had been as an aircrew navigator. I was a newbie to finance but fortunate to be assigned to the Air Force Accounting and Finance Center in downtown Denver. Oh. I did have an MBA degree from Ohio State, courtesy of the Air Force. My focus, as was common throughout my career, was on my job.

When I met my new Finance Center boss, he said, “OK Scooler, you got an MBA. How about helping us fix this damn Vietnam pay system. We haven’t paid anybody via the system this entire year. They’re all still getting paid through the old manual system. Let’s fix it.” Wow, what a welcome.

Soon after my arrival, I was appointed chief of the division that managed our POW/MIA pay accounts. This was the most rewarding job in my Air Force career. Most satisfying was the return of over 500 POWs in 1973. My team and I got to meet several heroes whose families we served by managing their military pay throughout their captivity. That was over five years for many of them. Their gratitude was a great reward for us. They all had heard, through the POW grapevine, that the Air Force was “lookin out” for their families during their captivity. It was a great solace to them. We were so glad we could provide that.

As for my family, we all have fond memories of our actual first time the five of us were together. Denver, 1970-1974, provided a beautiful, snowy, cold, adventurous and friendly backdrop for our young, growing family.  Enuf