To say life has slowed down for Magpies Newsstand owners Jared and Josephine Thompson might be an understatement. That’s easy to say after spending 26-year careers flying helicopters and serving on medical evacuation rescue missions for the Army.

Josephine, who goes by Jo, served as a medical evacuation officer and pilot who reached the rank of colonel before her retirement. Jared served as a warrant officer who worked his way up to becoming an experimental test pilot and chief warrant officer 5 (CW5).

Veterans Day Parade

The annual Veterans Day parade will be held at 11 a.m. Friday on Main Avenue in downtown Durango. The parade will begin at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Depot, 479 Main Ave., and travel north on Main Avenue.

Early in the couple’s military service they began dating which kept Jared from serving in the medical evacuation fields because of Army policies. Jared distinguished himself when he became one of five CW5 experimental test pilots in the Army.

“That was my job the last five or six years and it made it really hard to retire because that’s probably the coolest job in the Army,” Jared said.

An experimental test pilot assesses added equipment on aircraft to ensure the additions are not going to adversely affect performance of the craft or its aerodynamics.

“Basically, they push the aircraft’s limits to see how much better we can make their performance and what we can do to enhance their capabilities,” Jo said.

Jo started her career as a ground platoon leader in the medical services corps, but she always had a desire to fly. After a soldier was injured during combat, she had the experience of flying the aircraft that saved the soldier’s life; from there, she never looked back.

She said the process of becoming a MEDEVAC officer was rigorous. Those trying to become a MEDEVAC pilot must be accepted by a selection board and pass flight school.

Jared shares Jo’s passion for flying. He became fascinated with helicopters, spending his first summer after high school as a wildland firefighter leading him to take out a loan to get his private pilot’s license. Both attend college before enlisting for military service.

Jared, a graduate of Colorado State University, entered service as an aviation operations specialist for the First Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment.

Jo is from Hollandale, Mississippi, and attended the University of Mississippi on a track scholarship combined with a two-year ROTC scholarship. After, she was commissioned in the Medical Service Corps as a distinguished military graduate. Her career began as an ambulance platoon leader and combat health services officer with the 25th Infantry Division out of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

While at the University of Mississippi, Jo studied broadcast journalism. She would eventually become one of only two female colonel MEDEVAC pilots in the Army during her service.

“I always thought I was going to go into the army, be out in three years and get back into journalism and become more of a special reporter on military affairs. But 26 years later, here I am because that's where I found my passion,” Jo Thompson said.

She said being a service member in the army allowed her to be part of an amazing family. Jared said he gained an understanding of what infantry soldiers went through in combat, which gave him perspective on his life.

“I still get choked up when they sing the National Anthem where I see the big flag on the football field,” he said.

Jared has a long historical connection with Durango. His great-great-grandfather was Sheriff William J. Thompson, who was gunned down by Marshal Jesse Stansel outside the El Moro Saloon in 1906.

His grandfather, Ed Thompson, owned Thompson Saddle Shop, which caught fire during the infamous fire on Aug. 24, 1974, in Durango’s 800 block of Main Avenue.

Thompson grew up mainly in Durango and attended Durango High School. The couple wanted to move back to raise their family, and when the couple retired from military service they decided the time was right.

They took over ownership of Magpies Newsstand in July 2021. They were inspired by the newsstand’s history in Durango.

“It was an automatic for us,” Jo said. “We were looking at how we could be a part of the community and give back. This was an ample opportunity for us to kind of jump and provide some good jobs and benefits to the veterans in the community.”

The couple has made an effort to make Magpies Newsstand veteran-friendly. Military memorabilia hangs from the back walls where customers can sit down and read magazines. Some of their staff members are even veterans, which is something Jo and Jared felt was important.

“We have had the most amazing employees. It's really just a family in here. And to be able to give those jobs to so many good folks, it’s great,” Jo said.

She said it is ironic they now own a newsstand considering she studied broadcast journalism.

“Now it’s full circle. I don’t get to do any of the reporting, but I get to read it all,” she said.

Jared Thompson said owning the newsstand is a great way to give their children, Jocilen, Jorja and Jacoby, a sense of responsibility.

The couple said they don’t regret any part of their 26-year career in the military. It was some of the best times of their life.

“Landing an Army helicopter on a Navy destroyer, you can’t beat that,” Jared Thompson said.

Jo Thompson said it's a great feeling to reflect on her service and know she made a positive impact.

tbrown@durangoherald.com