Operation Vacation: River rafting makes a splash with Army sergeant and wife

<I>GLENWOOD SPRINGS - Operation Vacation is a program that brings to the Roaring Fork Valley military personnel who have fought overseas. Bob Johnson, a Realtor for Vicki Lee Green Realtors, in Glenwood Springs, coordinated with the Army to create the program that hosts soldiers in Glenwood every month. Local businesses have donated dinners, entertainment, outdoor activities, lodging and transportation for Operation Vacation participants. For more information about the program, visit www.operationvacation.org.

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Sgt. Chris Delp

<B>Age:</B> 35

<B>Hometown:</B> Clover, S.C.

<B>Branch of the military and division:</B> Army, Second Brigade Combat Team, Second Battalion Division, Second Brigade 17th Field Artillery

<B>Family:</B> wife, Veronica; 8-year-old daughter, Allyson; and mother-in-law Ann Manning

<B>When and why did you join the Army?</B> August 2002; to benefit my family and to serve my country

<B>Where have you been deployed?</B> Baghdad, Iraq, and I've been stationed in Korea, but it wasn't a deployment.

<B>When you were being deployed, what did you miss most about home?</B> Family and Wal-Mart

<B>What's your favorite food? </B>Spaghetti

<B>What do you like to do in your free time?</B> Fish and hunt

<B>What historical figure do you most admire?</B> Provus Felix Caesar. He won every battle he went into. He took over Afghanistan and, like many great leaders, his men murdered him.

<B>What are you looking forward to doing while in Glenwood Springs?</B> Everything - whitewater rafting (through Shoshone), paragliding and relaxing