A staffer from the Southeastern Colorado Chapter of the American Red Cross is headed to Kuwait where she will help troops stay connected to home.

Barbara Shufelt will deploy this month to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. There she will help with the charity’s military programs, which include helping troops get home for family emergencies.

The Red Cross for more than a century has conveyed messages to troops amid family emergencies. Volunteers also verify information for commanders to ensure troops get home swiftly when needed.

Shufelt has worked as a volunteer and staffer for the charity since 1994, most recently delivering Red Cross services to troops at Fort Carson.

The charity said she has a personal reason for helping soldiers at home and overseas.

“Her youngest son was deployed to Afghanistan with the Colorado National Guard in 2012 and she understands how vitally important those family communications and services to the military are,” the charity said in an email.

To learn more about how the Red Cross helps troops, visit www.redcross.org/SAF

Military families get free day at fair

Troops, veterans and their families will get free admission to the El Paso County Fair on July 14, Fort Carson said on its website.

The fair, held annually off U.S. 24 in Calhan, has planned a day for troops that includes a 9 p.m. concert by Colorado Springs band Ashlee and the Longshot Revival.

To get free admission, troops and veterans will need valid identification. In additional to the usual selection of midway games, livestock shows and a petting zoo, this year’s fair features “Elephant Extravaganza, Butterfly Encounter and Salida Circus,” Fort Carson said.

For more on the fair, visit elpasocountyfair.com.

See what $1.7 billion bought the VA

The Department of Veterans Affairs is giving veterans an online sneak peek at its new hospital in Aurora.

The Rocky Mountain VA Medical Center will host a ribbon cutting on July 21. The facility has been a source of trouble for VA for nearly two decades. It is opening years behind schedule and neatly $1 billion over budget.

The woes of the hospital have led to repeated shakeups in VA leadership and a string of congressional hearings that examined how the agency spent so much money.

Now at the website https://bit.ly/2tAIW9n, you can see just what $1.7 billion in taxpayer cash bought.

It’s a posh facility of modern design with tasteful furniture and patient-friendly rooms.

One favorite take from the pictures: This VA hospital comes with outdoor barbecues.

While the agency has faced nothing but pain from the hospital’s woes, the agency says the opening is worth celebration.

“Veterans, we hope to see you at the Ribbon Cutting for your new Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora on July 21st!,” VA said on Facebook. “The celebration is just for you!”

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