Veteran's banner is a tribute to American Indians who served

Pvt. Joe Pacheco was a WWII soldier, a father, an American Indian and much more. His son, who shares his name, wanted to honor him for all those things, so he and his brothers got him a banner as part of the Niwot Veteran's Banner Project.

"You don't see a lot of praise for those American Indians, no matter what tribe you're in, that had joined the service and fought for their country," Joe Pacheco said. "He, like everyone else, wanted to serve their country."

Pvt. Pacheco didn't talk much about his war years, but his son knows he fought in Europe. He thinks he was in France when he was wounded by a grenade during combat on the streets. The burns and impact from the explosion earned him a Purple Heart.

After the war, Pacheco moved to Kansas City where he worked as a jeweler and met his wife, who was originally from Mexico. The three boys spoke mostly Spanish until they got into school. Pacheco isn't sure why they didn't speak his father's traditional language, the one he grew up with on the Kewa Pueblo (formerly Santo Domingo) in New Mexico. "I never got a reason why," he said. "Maybe because he didn't think we'd ever use it."

Pacheco visited his father's childhood home, just south of Santa Fe, a few times. But what he remembers most is when the Kewa Pueblo culture came to him. Several of his father's friends also left the pueblo and moved to Kansas City to work for the same jewelry company.

"He and his friends would come over later in the evening and they would sit down and sing their songs from the reservation. The Indian songs. It was very entertaining. I'd be laying in bed, just listening to them sing," he said.

Music has been an important part of the life of Niwot's Joe Pacheco since he began playing bass guitar when he was a teenager. He retired from working for the federal government 11 years ago and, other than during the pandemic, he has spent a lot of his time playing bass professionally in a couple of bands. He frequently plays gigs in town, playing at the Old Oak Coffeehouse and as an opening act at Rock 'n Rails.

Along with memories of the singing, Pacheco treasured the simple times with family. He and his dad watched football on Sundays, played catch with his two brothers, and the family took walks together. The family didn't own a car, so they traveled by foot, taxi or bus.

His father worked on Saturdays and, as early as age 10, Pacheco would hop on the bus and meet his dad downtown for lunch. "He was the breadwinner. Mom stayed home and raised us. We had a good life. It wasn't a rich life. It was just a good life. A good modern life."

When he got older, Pacheco joined the Air Force for four years during the Vietnam War, working stateside in administration. "I wanted to follow my dad. He served and I felt that I should serve too."

He said his father shed tears when he left for basic training, "It's hard for a family to send their boys off to war or into the service." He said it's also hard when their sons and daughters return home, especially those who have been mentally or physically injured.

Veterans deserve more recognition and support after they serve, Pacheco said. "We can't forget our veterans. We can't. We gotta take care of them. They put their lives out there." He's proud of the patriotism that his town is showing with the banner project and would like to see more places do the same. "We can show everyone in the United States that we can do this."

The veteran's banners will be taken down the weekend of Nov. 14 and 15, weather permitting, but the bios will remain online. Pvt. Pacheco's waves above 2nd Avenue where his son can go and physically look up to the father and veteran who served his country and his family well.

"My dad influenced me quite a bit. He always told me to take care of family and do what's right. We had a good bond together. When he passed, he passed away in my arms," Pacheco said with a hitch in his voice.