Honoring those who honor the fallen

SANTA FE, N.M., — State Command Sgt. Maj. Robbie Cantrell presented his challenge coin to six members of the New Mexico Army National Guard’s Funeral Honors Program Aug. 25 at the Oñate Military Complex here.

Cantrell recognized the Soldiers for their continued efforts in conducting funeral ceremonies for New Mexican veterans and for their success in passing a United States Property and Fiscal Office internal review audit.

“Continue doing the great work,” said Cantrell. “There’s no doubt in my mind that you are comparable to or equal to or better than some of the units in the Old Guard. It’s the most honored job you can ever receive.”

The 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, in the National Capitol Region is the U.S. Army’s elite ceremonial unit. 2nd Lt. Aaron Mondragon is the officer-in-charge of New Mexico’s Military Funeral Honor Guard.

“We had our first internal review with USPFO recently, and that went very well,” said Mondragon. “Aside from the missions, we want to recognize some soldiers who have been a big part in that over the years.”

Cantrell honored Spc. Erika Muñoz, Spc. Isacc Nuñez, Spc. Justin Garcia-Vigil, Sgt. Alejandro Gonzalez, Sgt. Abigail Licea, and Mondragon.

“The program is very in-depth, a lot that people don’t see—the missions that go on behind it, the services, but more importantly the soldiers who are carrying out the missions throughout the state,” said Mondragon. “We’re the fifth largest state in the nation, so with the Soldiers carrying out those missions, there’s a lot of time they put in.”

Mondragon said that the Soldiers also contribute in time and effort to their administrative duties, which assisted with the USPFO internal review.

“Just the preparation, the knowledge of these NCOs, the administrative work, their documentation, they had everything that they needed to show the auditor when questions were based off the regulations, the policies, the DOD (Department of Defense) directives,” said retired Command Sgt. Maj. William Griego, who is currently working with the MFH Program.

“It was a really smooth transition, but that’s just a result of their professionalism, how they keep their record keeping and it’s just how they do the performance every day,” Griego said.

Many of the team members have been with the program for years building their proficiency in delivering MFH.

“Licea and Garcia-Vigil have been here since I’ve been Sergeant Major and they’ve always been the ones turning in the ADOS (Active Duty Operational Support) packets, doing the DTS (Defense Travel System), always keeping administrative stuff rolling and never having issues,” said Personnel Sgt. Maj. Chad Hazen. “I know what you guys do and I appreciate it.”

Surviving family members also appreciate the MFH team.

“I do see email traffic from civilians—loved ones, family members, the ones you guys did ceremonies for before,” Hazen said. “They’ve actually given you credit to The Adjutant General.”

“A lot of times they’re out there doing services on the weekends, different hours of the day, around New Mexico. They do them in Las Cruces, Roswell—all over the state, so they’re pretty busy,” Griego said.

“I just want to make sure they get the proper recognition because they do a good job here,” he added.