Funeral services are today for Jack Codner, who passed away last week at the age of 83. He will be mourned by a large family, by neighbors and friends, and by the communities here in San Juan County.

Jack also needs to be honored for his actions far away from San Juan County.

Just one month after his 20th birthday, on June 6, 1944, Jack Codner found himself on Omaha Beach on D Day. He carried with him the memories of that great and terrible day for the remainder of his life.

Codner fought through Normandy and through France during that pivotal year of 1944. He spent a terrible winter in the Black Forest of Germany before he was injured by a burst of machine gun fire. He received three Purple Hearts for his sacrifice.

Leaving the fields of battle in Europe did not mark the end of the war for Jack. He continued to fight the war each and every day for the subsequent 63 years of his life. Codner knew and lived the challenges of Post Traumatic Stress long before PTSD was identified.

Despite the severe and ongoing challenges he faced as a battle veteran, Jack and his wife Devon were able to raise a wonderful family while being a tremendous asset to our communities.

He is yet another of the growing number of World War II veterans who have passed away. As we mark another Veterans day, the 62nd since the end of World War II, we have fewer and fewer chances to thank those who were willing to pay such a terrible price, those so many years ago, to preserve our freedoms.

A heartfelt thank you to all veterans near and far, aged and young, injured or whole.

• • • • •

Let the games begin!

For the first time since 1991, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has revisited how they manage the 1.8 million acres of public BLM land in San Juan County.

The Monticello Field Office has released a draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and draft Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the field office.

The draft plans address the basic allocation for land use in all but the northern portion of BLM land in San Juan County (that area is covered by the Moab Field Office). Areas covered include OHV use, oil and gas leasing, grazing, riparian areas, and wild and scenic rivers.

This is the key management document for those who support multiple use for public lands.

The 1,300 page draft report culminates more than four years of work. The draft report was completed with the cooperation and input of San Juan County and the State of Utah.

This is the last of six RMPs for BLM lands in Utah. It follows on the heels of similar draft reports in the Richfield, Price, Vernal, Kanab and Moab offices.

The biggest change appears to be with Off Highway Vehicles. Fully open land has shrunk from 611,000 acres to 2,311 acres. Other than that, OHV use may be restricted to designated roads.

More than 70,000 public comments were received for the Price area draft plan and they are still pouring in on the Moab area draft plan.

Stay tuned for public meetings on the issue and think about submitting comments by the February 8 deadline.