Mileah Baca, the daughter of CW4 Erwin Baca, begin the ceremony with a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem. Past and present New Mexico Warrant Officers and their guests conducted an open mic about their experiences as or with warrant officers.
Warrant officers, known as the silent professionals, serve as technical experts, combat leaders, trainers and advisers in 17 different branches spanning across the active component, the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve – with a total force of over 26,000.
“As of today, the New Mexico National Guard has 85 warrant officer positions authorized with 77 warrant officers on hand,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Lawrence Jiron, the state command chief and master of ceremonies. “Three candidates will attend the Warrant Officer Course in August so we will be close to 80 by the turn of the new fiscal year, which puts us closer to our goal of 100 percent. It has been a team effort led by our warrant officer strength manager, CW4 Nathan Trujillo. Packets are moving forward, getting approved and we help them prepare for physical challenges of WOC School. It’s their hard work and sweat that earn the WO1 bar. We just help them to get there.”
Retired Lt. Gen. Edward Baca, former Chief of the National Guard Bureau and former Adjutant General of New Mexico, who was the key note speaker, thanked Jiron and the warrant officer corps for inviting him to celebrate ‘our’ birthday.
“Everyone is looking at me like what do you mean by ‘our’ birthday,” Baca said. “Back in the early 60’s I applied to be a warrant officer for an active duty tour and they approved me at state level. In those days, you didn’t have to go to warrant officer candidate school like Bill Ward did in 1986 – the first guy in the New Mexico National Guard to do that. I was approved at 4th Army and then it went to Department of the Army where I got a letter saying ‘Sorry Charlie, you are not good enough.’ So here I am, I went to OCS and the rest is history. But right before I retired, a group of warrant officers at Guard Bureau put me in for honorary warrant and I have a certificate for dually serving as a warrant officer, so I am celebrating ‘our’ birthday.”
After Baca spoke about the history and the beginning of the corps in 1918, he went on to say how warrant officers always told him exactly how it was. “When I wanted pure, clean advice, I could get it from a warrant officer,” he said. “Thank God that throughout my career, I was surrounded by some great warrant officers that kept me straight. When I would come up with
some great idea and I asked for their opinion, they would look at me and sometimes say ‘General, that would never work,’ and I would believe them. But if I said, let’s try it, they would get behind it like it was their idea and that’s the warrant officer that I know and that I respect.”
Baca’s recommendation for the younger troops is if you need good advice, the warrant officer corps knows what is going on because it is that rank that both leads and follows and is always right in the loop, he said.
Quoting General George Patton, Baca said wars are fought with weapons but they are won by men and women, and it is the spirit of those who follow as well as those who lead that determine the victory.”The reason we are the greatest Army in the world is because of the warrant officer corps and what you contribute and what you have given in your lives to your service,” Baca said.
Brig. Gen. Thomas Bump, director of the Joint Staff for the NMNG, said he knows for a fact that he would have never become a general officer if it weren’t for warrant officers, some of who were present.
“As a young lieutenant, I remember things that impacted my career – like when Bill Martinez came to me and said we are going to have a COMET,” Bump said. “Like a good LT, I said roger that and I walked away. Then I thought to myself what the hell is a Comet. I really didn’t know so I found this grumpy old guy, Bill Ward, and asked, hey Chief, can you help me understand this Comet. He spent five hours with me at McGregor Range Camp going over every detail and I will never forgot that.”
Bump said that every time he felt like he needed something, he could go to a warrant officer because he knew for sure that they would take the time, regardless of rank, to sit with him and say, hey sir, this is the right way to do it.
“My advice to anyone that doesn’t know that is you probably ought to learn that because without the men and women in this room, we might be a little lost,” Bump said. “Thanks for letting me be a part of this and thank you to all the warrant officers for what you have done for me personally and for what you continue to do for this organization and throughout the Army. You have done a great job with the cohort you have built and you are vital part of what we do here daily.”
Bump led the unveiling of a warrant officer rising eagle plaque engraved with about 275 names of warrant officers who have served in the New Mexico National Guard. Current and future warrant officers will have their names added as they retire.
“One thing we have been true to in our identity is our rising eagle,” Jiron said. “It id’s the warrant officer and will always remain with us as these younger warrants coming through the ranks keep that going.”
Retired CW5 Bill Ward described warrant officers as mentors who know what they are doing, take pride in what they do and lead from the front. He told the younger warrants to get out there with the Soldiers and make things happen. Ward also recommended keeping up with your PT, weight control and your military and civilian education – which he considers key for your record. “I knew I had a chance to make CW5, so at 50 years old I went back to school at night for over three years to get my degree,” Ward said. “Take care of all those little things to make those doors of opportunity open.”
Retired Maj. Gen. Kenny Montoya, former adjutant general of New Mexico, said warrant officers set the standard. “Officers do other things and enlisted Soldiers have to do other things so warrants have to set the standard and I expect you to always go beyond the standard,” Montoya said.
As Montoya recognized warrant officers who he sent to combat zones, he said not one of them belonged to the deploying unit. “They went because I needed them in those units and that’s what they do,” Montoya said. “And If I kept you here, I needed you here to support those units too.”
Montoya thanked the warrant officer retirees for keeping him straight.
“Mr. Buhl, thanks for making sure that missile went where it was supposed to go,” he said. “Thank you warrant retirees for keeping me straight and thank you for enjoying your lives now. For those still serving, thank you keep keeping us free and safe. ”
Command Sgt. Maj. Willie Griego said that growing up in the air defense side, it was essential to work with warrant officers because their expertise in systems, maintenance and supply are the anchors that make it all work. “On behalf of the NCO Corps, thanks for all the work you do,” he said.
Retired CW5 Sal Soto gave kudos to Jiron and the warrant officers present for the good report on current warrant staffing. “I had not heard a strong status report of positions and vacancies in a long time, so congratulations on closing the gap,” Soto said. “Keep moving things forward and be like Chief Ward, who is still actively recruiting members of the audience for the warrant officer corps. That’s what the warrant officer corps is all about.”
Retired Brig. Gen. Jac Fox, the Secretary of Veteran Services recalled that while serving as a second lieutenant in an Infantry brigade in Alaska, two of his best friends were WO1’s and they would kid each other about being a butter bar and wobbly one pilots. “They didn’t make it back from Vietnam, but they taught me the meaning of sacrifice and dedicated selfless service,” he said. “So I am here today as the Secretary of Veterans Services for the state of New Mexico to represent 168,000 men and women that have worn the uniform of our country to tell you congratulations on 100 years of dedicated, professional and selfless service to the Unites states of America.”
Retired Col. Brian Baca said he was reflecting on what the warrant officer corps meant to him in his 34 year career. “Chief Jiron is the last person still serving in the New Mexico National Guard that I went to basic with in 1979,” Baca said. “Warrants have been a big part of my whole career… Mr. Larry Cisneros first hired me, Chief Buhl made sure that missile fired on target in 1989 and at Bureau, I had a chief I worked with daily. When I came home to the G1, having Chief Espinoza was like having a resource encyclopedia for me. As the chief of staff, Chief Juan Espinosa served in that great role as SGS. My career has been highlighted with the guiding light of warrant officers that have shown me the way or guided me back on the right path. Happy 100th years to warrant officer corps.”
Retired CW5 Vicente Fernandez said it is nice to be retired. However, before you leave, have a plan. “Before you exit, do everything you can to make the Guard the best it has ever been,” Fernandez said “Be smart, knowledgeable and the most helpful because there are young officers that are going to be looking up to you for guidance, so be the best mentor you can be for them and this Guard will continue to grow and be a great organization.”
Warrant Officers I Terrie Charlie, Julie Enomoto, Jamie Silva, the newest professionals who graduated July 3, 2018 presented the warrant officer corps history which you can read here:
https://warrantofficerhistory.org/Hist_of_Army_WO.htm
They also presented the names of units of the New Mexico National Guard’s earliest warrant officers and their units to include Ward Croft, 1923, 111th Calvary Regiment; Negrito, Simon, 1927, 920th Engineers; James Carter, 1927, Service Troop, 111th Calvary Regiment, Gus Stevenson, 1927, 111th Calvary Regiment and many others until 1950.
“Thanks for your kind words and encouragement,” said Jiron in closing. “We will remember this day for a long time.”
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