A destination. All.
Have destinations. The people
take care of each other around here.
They're all similar a start
that reaches an end. It's
a very very. Tight knit loving yet
no two journeys are the same.
It's just the spot in
anytime I go by it always,
always say a prayer. In
the small Colorado
mountain town of Gunnison.
I can't stress enough.
What this did to the whole community?
There's is one, many take.
To a football game.
Friday Night Lights is probably
one of the best things that
ever happened to this town.
But 50 years ago.
A high school football bus full
of boys from a destination town.
Never reached theirs.
Well, it was one of those
you know crisp fall mornings.
You know, blue sky leaves returning and
we're all excited everybody's in there.
Sport coats and ties.
You know it was our travel uniform so.
Having a really good time on the bus,
you know getting up the pass.
Before things start to turn S,
sometimes I wake up
in the night and I still think about the bus.
On September 11th, 1971.
We just started our wild ride down the pass.
Which the only thing I
can assimilate it to is.
Riding a roller coaster at Elitch Gardens.
You know, just you know control and
flying from one side to the other. You
were thrown from your seat,
so you you're in your seat and
then when it rotated it threw
you out of your seat and you
could feel being being tightened,
squashed and then released and
then tighten, squashed and
then released a junior varsity bus
trip over Monarch Pass to Salida
changed the town of Gunnison
forever. Well, I
I was obviously knocked unconscious and.
Yeah, I remember waking up.
With a body on top of me.
It was right here where after sliding
off the road going over 60 mph,
rolling over 2 1/2 times that the bus
landed upside down with its roof caved in.
One was hanging in the tree,
one was sitting beside the bus.
The coach, Larry Helser was leaning
up against the boats and he was.
I think he had nine broken
bones and he's back.
It was an overwhelming thing.
A brake failure in the school
bus led to devastation. The
next memory that I have I am
standing outside the bus.
In the middle of a war zone.
Eight underclassmen and a 28 year old coach.
Died. Leaving the town and their
survivors of the accident.
I remember what it looked
like that day of that scene,
and I'm not going to ever forget that.
It's just kind of. Grafted in there,
it's not going anywhere.
A focal point of history.
They never wanted a part of.
Obviously very grateful to be alive.
But man, oh man. The. Excuse me
I walked away. Where?
You know for something that killed
people and maimed and critically
hurt dozens of others. So.
Obviously a lot of survivors guilt,
you know why my friend died
and I lived and having to
face their parents and their.
Sisters and brothers, you know it's.
It's a heavy burden to carry.
Steve's best three.
Friends were killed that day
and he was sitting in the
middle of all three of them.
For years the tragedy wasn't
really talked about.
You know we.
We're really of the age of,
you know, just suck
it up and move forward.
And that's what we did. And once
it started rotating like that,
it was kind of a mixed up jar beans.
But as time has passed,
the town has made an effort to keep
the memories of those last alive.
I had parents that said, you know,
I just don't want my son forgotten.
The jerseys are nice. Uh. Memorial for them
and I'm glad that it
keeps their memory alive.
And it's almost like a flag for me.
I just want to. Saluted
for the people of Gunnison.
It's been a 50 year journey.
So good to see you of healing.
The kids are all buried
together at the cemetery.
I focus on remembering.
More how we lived and how they died.
Most of us have long since left.
This is always home.
No matter where they are, what did?
We have to remind these kids
that these people died and yes,
they are forever Cowboys.