Pueblo Home of Heroes Association Press Release
July 17, 2024

The Pueblo Home of Heroes Association along with co-sponsors Historic Arkansas Riverwalk Project (HARP), Center for American Values, Pueblo Convention Center and the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, announces a new fun and exciting feature to those who visit HARP, the Walk of Valor Virtual Guide.
The Walk of Valor was first created in 2011 by the Center for American Values, The Media Center and the Pueblo Home of Heroes Association and highlighted and mapped eight sites at the Pueblo Convention Center and HARP in a brochure about each site along the one mile walk with text explaining the extraordinary valorous stories of those connected to Pueblo. This effort was never as successful as was hoped because it was difficult to get the brochures in the hands of visitors to HARP.
The new Walk of Valor Virtual Guide fixes that problem by visitors being able to use their cell phones to scan the QR codes located on signs now situated at each of the sites which have been expanded to eleven. Once they scan the QR code they will be able to read or listen, on their phone, about the event the site represents and be guided on to the next site and shown the way with a real time augmented reality video using arrows pointing the way.
The eleven sites are: Pueblo Medal of Honor Memorial, the Medal of Honor Information Center, USS Pueblo Plaque, Peter C. Lemon plaque, Veterans’ Bridge, Memorial plaque for 100th anniversary of Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Zebulon Pike Plaza, World Trade Center Steel Memorial, Center for American Values, Interpretive 1921 Pueblo Flood Wall and Memorial Hall.
According to Paulette Stuart, President of the Pueblo Home of Heroes Association, they and their fellow sponsors have gone to the trouble and expense to create and maintain the Walk of Valor Virtual Guide, because they want Puebloan’s young, old and in between, to be proud of our city and the part its citizens have played over the years in overcoming disasters, fighting our enemies who would take away our freedoms and serving our country in so many ways. We want them to know why, and be proud to say, Pueblo is the “Home of Heroes”!

Contacts: Paulette Stuart 719-252-0206 or Jim Stuart 719-252-0207
Pueblo Home of Heroes Association, P.O. Box 2126, Pueblo, CO 81004
Email: jamesstuart12@outlook.com

On June 17, 2022 at the Pueblo Convention Center the Pueblo Home of Heroes Association unveiled a new Medal of Honor Information Center featuring a 7’ x 12’ video screen with a touch screen control monitor. The goal of this new Medal of Honor Information Center in the Grand Hall of the Pueblo Convention Center is to provide an interactive and patriotic educational tool that is fun to use. This was accomplished by using the Medal of Honor and its recipients, especially Pueblo’s four heroes, whose uniform jackets are part of the display, as examples of self-sacrifice, duty, honor and going above and beyond the call of duty at the risk of one’s life in defense of our country.

The major things you can select and learn about on the 7’x12’ video screen are:

• Details and videos about each of Pueblo four recipient’s and the heroic action for which they received the Medal of Honor
• A listing of, and information about, all the over 3500 Medal of Honor recipients
• The history of the Medal of Honor
• The story of the creation of the four Pueblo MOH Memorial statues
• The Veteran’s Bridge and all the names and their location on the bridge and in many cases biography’s and photos
• Why Pueblo is called Home of Heroes
• Information on almost 30 attractions you can see in Pueblo County

Click to View

Commander John Saenz, Vice Commander Sal Torres, 1st Sgt. Savion Lira, Co-Founder Joe Rodriguez, Eddie Bedlien, Bob Begel, Ray Brown, Al Duran, Mike Gallardo, Henry Lefebre, Ernie Lucero, Manuel Marez, Ken Mestas, Ken Montoya, Hank Saladana and Larry Sisneros

As one of the oldest Veterans Ritual Teams in the country, the Pueblo Veterans Ritual Team assists over 200 of our nation’s service families every year. The group is comprised of former service men and women who continue to serve the community by providing military funeral services for many of the area’s fallen heroes. The Team supports disabled veterans, widows and orphans of deceased veterans by comforting the families after the loss, entertaining service members while in the hospital plus education and homeless programs, military protocols, patriotism and any other assistance required.
Through their continual service in the community they have had a immense impact as public ambassadors for veterans and the Armed forces.
Photo Gallery

2015, John Verna was presented with the Patriotic Citizen of the Year Award as he retired from the helm of the Pueblo Home of Heroes Association after working with the organization since it’s inception. He was part of the team in bidding for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society convention for Pueblo in 2000, his work as a City Councilman helped ensure that Pueblo began using “Home of Heroes” in it’s marketing, he helped with the Home of Heroes signage on I-25 North and South of town, and was a tireless leader and fundraiser for the organization.

2011, school teacher Ray LeMasters was presented with the award for his outstanding work at East High School especially on Veteran’s Day by creating a yearly program for the student body which, in part, shows a portion of a video about one of Pueblo’s Medal of Honor recipients. The video is a series created by Brad Padula, The Media Center, featuring William Crawford, Carl Sitter, Raymond “Jerry” Murphy, and Drew Dix. LeMasters shows one each year so that by the time the students have completed their four years of high school they will have seen all four videos. He works tirelessly within the Veteran Community on projects especially for homeless vets.