On Dec. 28, 2006, the second of two major back-to-back blizzards began re-burying Colorado in snow, and the response and recovery, which included efforts by Colorado and Wyoming National Guardsmen, lasted well into January.

The worst damage occurred in eastern and southeastern Colorado, where drifts were measured at 10- to 15-feet-deep, and even up to 18-feet-deep in Kiowa County. Thousands of cattle were stranded and local ranchers lost many of their herds, right in the midst of calving season.

Colorado and Wyoming Army and Air National Guardsman, using F-16s, C-130s and helicopters, worked together to locate and drop hay to the surviving cattle that were still trapped in the freezing snow.