DENVER • Dozens of military members packed the state House of Representatives to watch legislators pass five joint resolutions paying homage to the nation’s military.“How many of you are having a hard time breathing? That your hearts are just bursting?” state Rep. Nancy Todd, D-Aurora, asked the gathering. “That’s the way I started the day.”Her husband, Terry, is a retired member of the Army Reserve. He was far from the only military link in the General Assembly. Several lawmakers from around the state are veterans, including Senate Minority Leader Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, who served in the Army.“I went from four years of college to two years of education,” Cadman said half-jokingly, referring to his enlistment right after he finished his degree.It wasn’t just troops that were honored Monday — family members also give up a lot to their country. Rep. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan, said there were plenty of families in El Paso County who have lost more than one member in war.Rep. Mark Barker, R-Colorado Springs, revealed plans for a new military memorial that will be built across the street from the Capitol. It will be a six-sided granite structure, with each side dedicated to a different conflict: World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War and the War on Terror.And in the center, Barker said there will be a torch.Air Force Col. Kim Hawthorne said the day was touching.“It’s been a great event, to see all the appreciation for the men and women who have sacrificed so much,” Hawthorne said.The 65 members of the House approved resolutions honoring fallen soldiers, prisoner of war and those missing in action, Colorado troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the captured Naval ship the USS Pueblo, and one that designates I-70 as part of the national system of Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Trails.

Air Force guard Mike Fitzgerald gets pressure by San Diego State’s Jamaal Franklin while shooting in the second half Saturday. Photo by AP PHOTO