Maj. Gen. Ken Nava, the Adjutant General, who presided over the ceremony, called it a bittersweet day because many of the folks sitting in the audience, including himself, have known this guy for his entire career and has served with Velarde in many different capacities.
“He is the guy that is always ‘Johnny on the spot’ if we needed something or someone to come in,” Nava said. “He always had the support of his family and his employer, the Farmington Police Dept. While he has always been a traditional National Guardsman, he was always ready to serve – look at the number of his deployments.”
Nava added that the JAG office liked for Velarde to be assigned as the Investigation officer because with his police training and skills, his work was always done well, tabbed out and accurate.
“You’re really going to be missed,” Nava said. “But the good news is you still get the discount for Disney Land and you need to spend some more time with those girls.”
As Nava coined Velarde with the new TAG coin, he told him he will always be part of the family and asked him to stay involved. Velarde promised to stay involved, graciously accepted the spinning coin, and told his girls, “my spinner is cooler than yours.”
Col. Dan Stark said that he and Velarde go way back to serving together in the 3-200 days and Velarde ends his career serving with him here at the RTI.
“I want to present you with the first RTI coin and there is no more deserving person than you to get the first one,” Stark said. “In addition for your office, we have this handcrafted metal map of the U.S. with our state emblem for you… but more importantly, we are going to miss you.”
Col. Mike Rieske, the state aviation officer, said that while they were assigned to the A Cell to get ready for Warfighter, they went to school together in preparation.
“While I was assigned as the airspace guy and Randy as the Air Defense guy, we did a couple of Warfighters together as well as a few AT’s,” Rieske said. “We worked many 14 hours days and I will tell you that Randy is not afraid to get his hands dirty.”
Brig. Gen. Thomas Bump, director of the Joint Staff, said he has known Velarde for a long time, crediting him for attending five years at NMMI, so he always held him to a higher standard. Bumped also revealed why Velarde’s nickname was Fish – being an expert fishing guide who was also known to throw a few back. But you never see Randy down, but always smiling, happy, a good friend and I’m going to miss you, Bump added.
Col. Mark Miera, the land component commander, thanked Julie and the family for their support, acknowledging that there is no way Randy could have accomplished what he has without their support. Miera, who also served with Velarde on many Warfighter missions, credited Velarde for always doing a phenomenal job regardless of what was thrown at him – from training to transitions – he has always achieved and grown.
Lt. Col. Danny Olsen, 226th Military Police Battalion commander, presented a personalized Pendleton blanket and one of his new MP coins to Velarde and told him he would be missed.
As Velarde took to the podium, he thanked his family for always being there – for without Julie and the kids, it would not be possible to serve. He said that with getting his weekends back, they are going to plan a family outing (FTX’s) every drill weekend.
“I know the Guard is in great hands,” Velarde said. “Over the years, we have watched it grow to what it is today – magnificent – from hand-me-down equipment to a well-trained, equipped force, and it was awesome to be a part of that,” Velarde said. “Continue to be ready to answer the call because the threat is real.”
Velarde acknowledged that we are all still part of the team and we all need to live up to the ‘Soldier for Life’ theme.
“I take extreme ownership of the New Mexico National Guard; its mine and will always be,” Velarde said. “The 226th MPs and Farmington are very near and dear to my heart. The 515th RTI is a class act – organized and a well- oiled machine with professional NCOs. The 111th is also very special to me because I put a lot of energy into it and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. No matter what is thrown their way, they are going to answer the call.”
Velarde recalled his deployment to Kosovo and said that 141st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade from North Dakota taught him a lot and he is still close with them. He also called the 92nd Infantry from Puerto Rico his worker bees when he was in Afghanistan, learning a lot from them as well.
He went on to thank everyone who had helped him throughout the years and is going to miss being around Soldiers.
“Chief Gwilt, General Montoya, General Garcia, General Fletcher and CSM Del Torres molded us to who we are today,” Velarde said. “James Roybal was very inspirational to me while at White Sands and I need to mention Jim Keefner, Bobby Rojo and too many others.”
After Velarde was presented with the NGB Certificate of Service, Certificate of Retirement, Soldier for Life package, TAG letter, New Mexico Distinguished Service Medal, Certificate of Appreciation from the Governor, and a brevet promotion to Colonel, a humble Velarde said to his wife Julie, “these awards are as much yours as they are mine.”
Velarde also took the opportunity to recognize his father with his Marine photo and said if he was here today, he would be proud to be among us.
Velarde plans to continue working on dual master degrees in Emergency Management and Homeland Security while continuing to serve with the Farmington Police Department. He also sees plenty of family FTXs – hunting, fishing and fulfilling his family’s role as Disney enthusiasts.]]>
