VAIL — Lt. Col. Dr. Donald Gajewski laughs and cries at the same time when he talks about his “guys.”

Gajewski is in town with dozens of wounded warriors and their families for a Vail Veterans Program session, and found himself at the rim of Blue Sky Basin asking himself how a rookie skier got there. He fell a lot, but didn’t stay down — something he learned from his guys.

“I’ve been doing this 12 years and it’s still an emotional job for me,” Gajewski said. “I see the perseverance of these guys. They fall 12 times, then fall 12 more and pull themselves up. You’re not human if that doesn’t change you.”

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