Chadwell retires after 40 years

SANTA FE, N.M. – Lt. Col. Troy Chadwell was honored during a retirement ceremony at the 515th Regional Training Institute here this afternoon.

Enlisting in 1981, Chadwell has completed more than 40 years of service to the U.S. Army. He finished his career as the administrative officer of the RTI.

Col. Christopher Holland, who earlier relinquished command of the RTI to Col. Donald Braught, presided over the ceremony.

Holland presented Chadwell with the New Mexico Distinguished Service Medal, a Meritorious Service Medal for Chadwell’s previous assignment as the New Mexico Army National Guard’s Directory of Military Support (to civilian authorities), and an interim Meritorious Service Medal pending approval of the Legion of Merit.

Holland also presented Chadwell with a certificate of appreciation from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and a National Guard Bureau Certificate of Service before overseeing the presentation of a mounted sword from the RTI staff.

Maj. Gen. Kenneth Nava, the Adjutant General of New Mexico, read his letter of appreciation to Chadwell before presenting it to him along with his challenge coin.

Holland and Chadwell then presented the Military Spouse’s Certificate to Chadwell’s wife Dawn and Military Child Appreciation Certificates to daughter Faith and son Asa. The Chadwells have three other children—Rachel, Hannah, and Caleb—who were unable to attend the ceremony.

“I just wanted to congratulate Troy on making it 40 years,” Braught said. “I really want to wish you guys the best in the next chapter.”

Chadwell and his wife will retire to Texas.

“We’re here today to celebrate the career of a true American patriot,” Holland said. He then went on to list each of Chadwell’s military assignments, expounding on those with historical significance (such as guarding the Fulda Gap in Germany during the Cold War).

Chadwell’s civilian experience with the Albuquerque Police Department as an officer, instructor, and bomb technician would also serve him well in his military career. After Chadwell retired from APD in 2005, he was selected for an Active Guard Reserve position as operations officer for the 64th Civil Support Team (Weapons of Mass Destruction). Since the team responds to emergencies involving suspected hazardous or weaponized materials and works with civilian first responders, it was a natural fit for Chadwell. He went on to become the commander of the 64th CST.

Chadwell graduated from Temple Baptist Academy in 1980 and joined the Army the following year. After completing Basic Combat Training at Fort McClellan, Ala., and Advanced Individual Training as an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter repairman at Fort Rucker, Ala., he served at Fort Bliss, Texas; Schweinfurt, Germany; and Marana, Ariz., before joining the NMARNG in 1990.

Chadwell was commissioned through the NMARNG’s Officer Candidate School (then located in Roswell) in 1994. While still a traditional Guard officer, he served in a variety of Air Defense Artillery assignments before joining the full-time force.

Deploying to Afghanistan in 2007, Chadwell supervised three civilian police mentor teams and led more than 25 mounted combat patrols.

Chadwell holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Education (Criminal Justice) from Wayland Baptist University and a Master of Strategic Leadership degree from LeTourneau University.

Chadwell recalled wanting to be a Soldier from an early age and dressing up in his father’s old uniforms. “He was my inspiration as a Soldier,” he said.

Retiring after four decades of services on three continents, as Holland put it, is obviously an emotion event for Chadwell, who did little to hide it.

“For me,” Chadwell said, “it’s always going to be about the experiences and friends along the way.”