Putnam native, husband meet vice president in Alaskan stopover

Thursday, November 15, 2018
Vice President Mike Pence (center) chats with Putnam County native Kristen Salsman Kolp and her husband Joe during his Veterans Day stopover at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. The Secret Service man in the background, Kristen says, “gets the award for the epic photo bomb.”
Courtesy photo

Basically it was warmer in Alaska than it was in Greencastle Wednesday but Kristen Kolp still had chills when she talked about her recent experience.

Kristen and husband U.S. Air Force MSgt. Joe met briefly with Vice President Mike Pence when he made a Veterans Day stop at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to refuel Air Force 2 while en route to Japan and a diplomatic trip to Asia.

Kristen, a Putnam County native and daughter of Gary and Cheryl Salsman of Belle Union, called their “brief encounter” the highlight of her husband’s 25-year Air Force career, which will end in retirement this January.

Kristen Salsman Kolp (left) visits with Karen Pence, wife of Vice President Mike Pence, on a stop at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. The second lady presented her with a bracelet.
Courtesy photo

“We’ve had the opportunity to meet other decorated war heroes, including a Tuskegee airman,” Kristen, a 1988 Greencastle High School graduate, said, “but this is the cherry on the top and a special way to wind down Joe’s career. We were misty-eyed and grateful all at the same time.”

Being a ticketed event not everyone on the sprawling base got to see the vice president, and those who did waited patiently for more than four hours as weather delayed his flight. The Kolps were among an estimated 300 servicemen and women and select spouses who got to visit with the veep and his wife.

“He easily could have kept on going,” Kristen said of Pence being behind schedule at that point, “so that really impressed us.”

And so did the former Indiana governor’s reaction when he encountered the Kolps as he was working the room, making his way through the crowd and bubbly 49-year-old Kristen told him they were Hoosiers.

“He turned around and announced to the room that we were from Indiana, saying, ‘We’re fellow Hoosiers.’”

Pence also told Joe Kolp, a native of Lynn, Ind., and a product of Randolph Southern High School, that his “Hoosier service made him really proud,” Kristen said.

When the vice president learned he has 25 years in with the Air Force, Pence “coined him,” presenting Joe a special bronze or brass coin with the seal of the vice president of the United States on one side and Pence’s signature on the other.

“It’s a pretty cool military tradition,” Kristen explained. “It’s a really special way to be recognized, especially when it’s the second in command of our military, that’s a huge honor.”

The Kolps were also impressed with Karen Pence, the vice president’s wife, who accompanied him on the trip and made a special presentation to the military wives at the reception.

”She gifted the wives with a bracelet for their service,” Kristen noted. “His wife has her heart in it for military families. She has a passion for showing military spouses her appreciation.”

The silver bracelet, Kristen said, bears the seal of the second lady of the United States along with the flag and the seal of the USA.

When Pence came in and spoke, Kristen said, “everybody in the room, regardless of political spectrum, could tell he was sincere. They could tell he really loves the military.”

Pence made brief remarks about VA reform. He acknowledged the importance of Sunday -- the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I -- marked by ceremonies in France attended by President Trump.

Pence also pledged to “give America’s best America’s best” in the field of health care.

“We are once again giving our veterans across this country access to the best health care in the United States of America,” Pence said. “Veterans Choice is now a reality.”

When the Kolps retire in January, they plan to stay in Alaska, where they have raised their four children.

“We love it here,” Kristen said. “And it’s not as cold as Indiana.”