SPC Megan Robinson earned the Distinguished Honor Graduate title. SPC Christopher Gutierrez received the Distinguished Leadership Award and graduated on the Commandant’s List. SPC David Miranda served as the Student First Sergeant and graduated on the Commandant’s List. SPC Lea Gonzales took home the SHARP Essay Award and graduated on the Commandant’s List. CPL Michael Beecy, SPC Michael Calzada, SPC Benjamin Capel, SPC William Irish, SPC Andrew Lucero, SPC Code Nelson, SPC Tevin Thomas, and SPC Aaron Watson rounded out the Commandant’s List. Calzada and Lucero are New Mexicans. Calzada serves with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation, and Lucero is in the 720th Transportation Company. MSG Daniel Garcia, BLC Branch Chief, selected SGT Sherman Chavez as Instructor of the Cycle. Pointing out Chavez is not yet a staff sergeant (the usual rank for BLC instructors), Garcia said, “He always works above his paygrade.” Chavez’s students recommended him for an Army Achievement Medal, which he received during the ceremony. MSG Henry Garcia-Salas, the State Incentive Manager for Joint Forces Headquarters-New Mexico, provided the keynote address. “Stepping into a leadership role requires self-reflection,” Garcia-Salas said. “If you aren’t taking care of yourself, you can’t take care of your Soldiers.” Garcia-Salas encouraged the graduates to take college courses and encourage their subordinates to follow suit to prepare themselves for the future. The graduates represent the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve, arriving from all over the country.
