Meet the five Pueblo Latino veterans set to receive 'Profiles in Courage' awards this year

Five Pueblo Latino veterans will receive an award for their military service and contributions to the community.

Claude “Butch" Chavez, Alfred Duran, Albertina Espinoza, Judith Garcia-Carder and Arthur Velasquez will each be given a Pueblo Latino Profiles in Courage Award by the Latino Veterans Profiles in Courage Committee at a ceremony on Oct. 14.

The ceremony will take place during National Hispanic Heritage month, which starts Sept. 15 and runs until Oct. 15.

“For these veterans that have been selected, when you look and read their stories — these people have given a lot,” said Don Benavidez, a committee member and 2018 awardee. “They’ve suffered a lot and their service speaks volumes. They all have an amazing story.”

The committee since 2015 has recognized veterans of Hispanic descent with ties to Pueblo. Awardees must have served honorably in times of combat or non-combat and were selected based on “nominations showing honorable discharge from the military, examples of service to country, church, community, family, veterans and other organizations,” according to the committee.

Maj. Gen. Linda Urrutia-Varhall, a Puebloan and 1984 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, will serve as guest speaker at the ceremony, which starts at 5 p.m. at the Pueblo Convention Center.

“For the family, I think the (award) brings a sense of accomplishment for that individual,” Benavidez said.

Claude “Butch” Chavez

Chavez, a posthumous selection who was nominated by his niece, Ronda Gasparetti, was a U.S. Air Force member who served during the Vietnam War between 1964 and 1967. He worked on planes and “had lights on him as he was bombarded,” according Gasparetti’s nomination.

Upon his return home, Chavez spent years as an advocate for veterans and at times helped them obtain benefits, spoke on their behalf as a guest speaker at events, or wrote letters to the state legislature. He sought to raise awareness about veterans who were prisoners of war or missing in action and performed his advocacy despite suffering from Agent Orange exposure.

Chavez died on Feb. 22, 2022, and was laid to rest at Pikes Peak National Cemetery.

Alfred D. Duran

Duran served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and the Korean War around the mid-1940s and early 1950s, respectively. During those enlistments, he was stationed stateside because his brothers were serving overseas.

In 1952, Duran started working at the Pueblo Army Depot until his retirement in June 1988. During that time, he joined the Pueblo Veterans Ritual Team and helped community organizations such as the Pueblo American GI Forum, Pueblo Community Soup Kitchen and Meals on Wheels, among others.

Duran was nominated by Michael J. Gallardo.

Albertina "Tina" Espinoza

At 17, Espinoza began to serve in the U.S. Army as a medical specialist from 1961 to 1964. She was deployed to Texas and Heidelberg, Germany. Her last deployment was to France, where she was a military nurse.

Espinoza’s efforts helped her earn the Army Good Conduct Medal, which is awarded for “exemplary behavior, efficiency and fidelity in active federal military service,” according to the U.S. Army Human Resources Command. She also earned other medals and honors for her service.

After she completed her service, Espinoza remained in the medical field, working at Parkview Medical Center for 20 years. Today, she provides hospice care.

The ninth child among 10 siblings, Espinoza also helped her mother support and raise the family. She is a eucharistic minister at Holy Family Catholic Parish in Pueblo.

Espinoza was nominated by Dianne and Don Benavidez.

Judith Garcia-Carder

A graduate of Pueblo South High School, Garcia-Carder began her 31-year stint in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserves in 1960. That year, she took a flight to the United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge in Maryland, which is where she started her naval career.

A decade later, Garcia-Carder moved back to Pueblo and enlisted in the Navy Reserves.

After earning a degree and working at Southern Colorado State College, now Pueblo Community College, Garcia-Carder helped drive disabled veterans to a clinic in Denver for medical appointments. She helped veterans in Trinidad, Limon and Walsenburg get transport to Denver through the service.

Garcia-Carder was nominated for the award by Deborah Martinez Martinez.

Arthur J. Velasquez

Velasquez, who was born and raised in Pueblo, served in the U.S. Army between July 1969 and June 1971, both in Colorado and in Vietnam. He was discharged on July 1, 1975, after serving as a standby reserve for a few years.

After that, Velasquez worked for 36 years, holding jobs at a printing office and post office, among others.

Velasquez has helped other veterans obtain their disability benefits and at times helps community members with their home needs.

Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Five Pueblo Latino veterans to receive awards for military service