Maj. Gen. Ken Nava, the Adjutant General of New Mexico who presided over the ceremony said, “here is a lady who spent over 29 years in the military, and a lot of that with the New Mexico National Guard. She did a lot of great medical work for us in the New Mexico National Guard and in the community. We want to thank you very much for everything you did for us, our nation, our state.” The Adjutant General also apologized on behalf of the organization for her not receiving her retirement honors sooner and thanked her for letting us make it right. When Conley was asked to introduce her family, she said that everyone in the New Mexico National Guard was her family. Unfortunately, her children who live out of state could not be at the ceremony. Lt. Col. Beau Romero said Conley was the first person that introduced her to the NMNG when she arrived here in 2008. “She carried me through my first year here when my mother passed away,” Romero said. “She was the one that wrote my letter of recommendation for nurse practitioner school, got me into the nurse practitioner council, and has assisted me in my career. I don’t know why she has so much faith in me. She has mentored me, challenged me to grow and an I have done things that I never thought that I would be able to do because of her. I appreciate her and her mentorship and I want to recognize you, Col. Conley, because you have served well.” Conley was awarded the New Mexico Distinguished Medal, Certificates of Appreciation from Governor Susana Martinez and The Adjutant General, TAG coin and an honorary brevet promotion to brigadier general. Additionally, a special flag folding ceremony was held in her honor. Conley, who grew up with a dad who was a chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, said she was proud to serve and was very grateful for the recognition. “I was a 1st lieutenant when I joined a MASH unit here in Santa Fe and my commander, Col. May, asked me what are your goals for your Army career?” Conley said. “I told him I wanted to be a General. He said that was a lofty goal for a 42-year-old 1st lieutenant, but if anyone can do it, you can. I greatly appreciate the recognition.”
