Memorial Day

I went to the Memorial Day ceremonies in Albuquerque this morning. As I arrived the Veterans for Peace who were holding signs on the sidewalk were being told by the New Mexico Veterans Memorial staff that they would have to move across the street. I told the managers I didn't think they had to move anywhere and they were veterans and had earned the right to voice their feelings. I went into the Memorial and mentioned it to Mayor Marty Chavez and I believe he intervened and everything worked out. I just can't imagine why the managers of that facility would have taken that position. It was a very peaceful and orderly protest by a mostly over 50's group of veterans. Of all people, veterans certainly step to the front of the line when it comes to exercising their civil liberties.

I got to thinking about all of the democratic statewide candidates that are running for office and wondered how many of them are veterans.I believe James Lewis, candidate for State Treasurer is an Air Force Veteran. Jeff Armijo, who is running for Auditor, is National Guard member.

I am a veteran of the United States Air Force. I served in the New Mexico Air National Guard's "Enchilada Air Force" as the unit photographer. After basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in the summer of 1966 I was sent to photo school at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver for five months. I had always wanted to be a photographer and was amazed when I actually got the training that I wanted. It really led to my career in journalism and politics. I kept this picture small so you couldn't see my acne. I was 20 when this was taken.

This photo is of an F100-F on the day of deployment to Viet Nam, June 1968

After returning from that training I reentered UNM for another semester and then our whole 150th Tactical Fighter Group was activated in January 1968 after the North Koreans captured the USS Pueblo. Most of the F-100's. pilots, armaments and maintenance crews were sent to Tuy Hoa, South Vietnam while many others were sent to Korea. About 75 of us were assigned to airforce units in the U.S. I was sent to Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix where I worked on gun camera systems for almost 18 months. I attained rank as a staff sergeant.

We were all mustered out in the fall of 1970 and I returned to school and a job at KOAT-TV as a news photographer, reporter and anchorman. The rest, as they say, is history. I looked kind of young then at the age of 26

When you stop and think what happened to John Kerry, Max Cleland and John McCain in Viet Nam and how the bush and rove crowd turned these veterans into cowards via their 'swift boat' strategy, it is enough to make you go postal.