Army

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Every organization has a hero or a superstar. For Logistics Readiness Center Rheinland-Pfalz, Silke Martin is both.

Silke Martin has served with the U.S. Army as a German local national employee for nearly 38 years. After much personal deliberation, she has made the decision not to return to work but that hasn’t stopped her coworkers and her supervisors from making it very clear what a special person she is to them.

“Every organization has a superstar,” said LRC Rheinland-Pfalz Director Gregory Terry, “a person who knows all the history and background of every issue the organization has ever encountered. For us that is Silke Martin.”

“She is a real life everyday hero for this LRC,” echoed Wade Orr, LRC Rheinland-Pfalz chief of supplies and services. “Silke is a pillar of knowledge – both historically and professionally. She has been a longstanding member of this LRC family and acts as its matriarch.”

The list of what Silke Martin has accomplished while working at LRC Rheinland-Pfalz is too long to capture. Just as an example, as the administrative officer she has processed thousands of personnel and budgetary actions. She has made countless Government Purchase Card transactions and completed hundreds of financial accounting reports. She has successfully validated multiple Installation Status Reporting – Services for yearend closeout, she has ensured every employee received the proper support and services, and she has tracked and submitted personnel actions for recruitments, promotions, reassignments, resignations, awards and bonuses at LRC Rheinland-Pfalz.

On her own initiative, she performed position description audits on all the positions at LRC Rheinland-Pfalz to validate required updates in accordance with U.S. Army Sustainment Command guidance. She continuously advised the director and the division chiefs on financial strategies, and she managed all of the administrative programs and support services, such as records management, time and attendance and scheduling.

“I have to say that Ms. Martin is by far the most knowledgeable administrative officer I have ever had the pleasure of working with over the span of my career,” said Tony James, LRC Rheinland-Pfalz chief of plans and operations. “Her depth and understanding of logistics programs and management far exceeds her pay grade. However, she performs her duties with such passion and dedication that any supervisor would be proud to showcase her talents.”

“Without superstars like Ms. Martin, there is no way LRC Rheinland-Pfalz could support a community this size as effectively as we do,” Terry added.

During her free time, it’s all about family, her coworkers said. The life-long resident of Kaiserslautern loves her daughter, Ramona, and her grandchildren, David and Nora, very much.

“For her, I would say family comes first,” said Terry. “Over anything else, that’s what she talked about the most.”

Silke Martin will forever be a part of her extended LRC Rheinland-Pfalz family. The entire team sends their very best wishes to her and her family.

“Most employees can only dream of becoming what Silke Martin is to us,” said James.

“We will miss her here at work every day – dearly,” added Terry.

Name: Jorge Mercado

Job title: Supply and Services Division Chief

Assigned: Logistics Readiness Center Benelux, 405th Army Field Support Brigade

Location: Chievres Air Base, Belgium

Experience: I arrived at LRC Benelux in December 2021, and have served as its Supply and Services Division chief for about two months. I came here from Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, where I worked at the Program Executive Office for Aviation as the acquisition logistics lead for two years. Before that I was the Supply and Services Division chief at LRC Dix for about two years, and before that I was stationed in Busan, South Korea, for three years where I served as the director for the Busan Storage Center, U.S. Army Materiel Support Command – Korea.

Other Service: I’m a retired Chief Warrant Officer 3 who served on active duty for 20 years in the logistics field as a supply systems technician and manager.

Hometown: Bayamon, Puerto Rico

Family: In two weeks my wife, Lily, and I will celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. I have a 31-year-old daughter, Julissa, and a granddaughter, Gaby, who is four. I also have a 21-year-old stepson, Hans, who is currently serving on active duty in Hohenfels, Germany, and Lily and I have 11-year-old twin daughters. Their names are Lea and Sofia.

Q: Can you explain what your duties are as the chief of the Supply and Services Division at LRC Benelux, 405th AFSB?

A: Here in the Supply and Services Division, we have the Central Issue Facility mission, which supports our Soldiers with all the organizational clothing and issue equipment they need for their missions. We also have the Supply and Support Activity, which supports our customers here in the U.S. Army Garrison Benelux footprint with various classes of supplies. For example, we handle all the information technology and computer equipment for USAG Benelux. We are also responsible for the hazardous material program, and our property book office handles property accountability for the garrison, LRC Benelux and all the outlying stations. I have about 25 personnel in the Supply and Services Division who provide logistical support to Soldiers, Army civilians, local national employees, contractors and all their families in Belgium and the Netherlands as well as places like France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Q: Why is the Supply and Services Division mission at LRC Benelux so important?

A: First and foremost, we provide logistical support to the Soldiers and the warfighters. That’s the bottom line and why we are here. We make sure they have what they need to successfully accomplish their missions. We also have families here who are accompanying their service members, Army civilians and contractors so we provide support to them, as well. What we do for our community in the USAG Benelux area of responsibility is very rewarding. We are force enablers and service providers, and we directly affect readiness.

Q: What do you enjoy about your job, and what motivates you?

A: Being a former Soldier and having a stepson in the Army, I’m very passionate about taking care of Soldiers. I will do everything in my power to support them. It’s something I’ve been doing for over 38 years, and it’s my passion. I can’t think of myself doing anything else but this. Being a retired Soldier, I understand the concept and philosophy of support – you have to provide support the way you’d like to be supported. Not only myself – but the entire LRC Benelux – we all have the same extreme passion and drive to provide the highest level of customer support to our community members. We will stop at no lengths to ensure our community members in the USAG Benelux footprint have what they need when they need it.

LRC Benelux and 405th AFSB: LRC Benelux is one of seven LRCs under the command and control of the 405th AFSB. LRCs execute installation logistics support and services to include supply, maintenance, transportation and food service management as well as clothing issue facility operations, hazardous material management, personal property and household goods, passenger travel, and non-tactical vehicle and garrison equipment management. When it comes to providing day-to-day installation services, LRC Benelux directs, manages and coordinates a variety of operations and activities in support of USAG Benelux. LRC Benelux reports to the 405th AFSB, which is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and under the operational control of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The brigade is headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. Forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website at www.afsbeurope.army.mil and the official Facebook site at www.facebook.com/405thAFSB.

WIESBADEN, Germany – Selecting from quarterly award winners, Installation Management Command-Europe named its Professionals of the Year for fiscal year 2021, at both the region headquarters-staff and the Europe-wide levels.

The region-wide Level 1 Professional of the Year Award went to Susette Mathis, who works in the USAG Stuttgart military personnel division, while the Level 2 award went to Chris Beermann, who is with the IMCOM-Europe Directorate of Resource Management.

As the IMCOM-Europe staff Professionals of the Year, Idalia Leza, a program analyst for the official mail program, was named the Level 1 awardee, while Stefanie Poulsen, leader of the IMCOM-Europe utility procurement team earned the Level 2 award.

At the outset of COVID-19, Mathis identified issues and developed solutions to help the garrison through the pandemic, leading to the digitization of the out-processing system and created systems that saved more than 800 man-hours and became the blueprint for similar out-processing systems across Europe.

“Susette truly embodies the whole IMCOM service culture campaign. She’s positive, she treats everyone with respect, and seems to never have a bad day. She’s definitely the voice of the organization,” said Medreka Davis, her former supervisor.

Mathis, a native of Cape Verde who immigrated to the U.S. when she was 8 years old, joined the Army in 1999 and served for five years as an air traffic controller.

“I love working at USAG Stuttgart because as a veteran and an Army spouse I get to help and support our own military and civilian workforce,” Mathis said.

“She is an impressive, reliable, consistent, and exemplary employee who supports her colleagues, takes initiative, and is an absolute pleasure to work with,” Davis said.

Serving as the IMCOM-Europe chief of financial operations and resource integration for the past two years, Beermann joined the team after roughly 17 years supporting research, development and technology.

“We knew when we hired Chris that he was going to be a difference maker for our team,” said Sam Barnes, IMCOM-Europe’s Assistant Chief of Staff for Resource management. “His experience and broad range of knowledge on core business processes was exactly what we needed, when we needed it.”

Beermann led the Contract Management Review process from the IMCOM Europe headquarters and in support of the garrisons, taking an approach that was later developed was later adopted by IMCOM as the standard for other IMCOM Directorates.

Leading a team and helping his coworkers succeed gives him great satisfaction.

“If you build up the people around you, that’s where the success is. As you build a process, and you see the people around you just pick it up and run, that is the point at which like I get gratification out of it,” Beermann said.

“That’s success. You can build things that outlast you,” he said.

In 2021, Leza oversaw the solicitation, purchase and rollout of new official mail metering systems for 18 locations across all seven garrisons, which simplified the mail metering process, allow for real-time command official mail funding accountability and allowed for remote expenditure visibility and tracking.

“She has essentially transformed the way that IMCOM-Europe garrisons process Official Mail to meet current industry standards,” said Mike Kinstle, chief of the postal operations branch for IMCOM-Europe. “Through modernization of equipment, improved technology and training, IMCOM-Europe has been able to save and repurpose more than $100,000 over the last seven years.”

Leza began working for the Army in 1999 and has been in her current position for six years, following an assignment at Fort Carson and an earlier tour in Baumholder, where she became a mail room supervisor.

“I love taking care of my customers. My customers are the people out there in the field doing postal. They’re the post offices, not just the official mail, but the mail rooms,” Leza said.

“I believe in taking care of them and doing everything I can to help them because if I help them, they can help others,” she said.

For IMCOM-Europe, Poulsen leads a team that provides direct oversight of over 170 utility contracts with a total annual contract value of over $160 million dollars. In that role, in 2021, she worked closely with U.S. Army in Europe and Africa to obtain a formal opinion from the German government that will result in a cost avoidance of over $1.2 million, with gradual increases in the cost avoidance each year.

“Stefanie is extremely diligent. She is very thorough in conducting research to make sure she has the correct answer or resolution to a problem,” said her supervisor, Simon Muench, who noted that she takes a special interest in challenges where cost-savings area involved.

“She constantly strives to identify problems with utilities or utility contracts at garrisons and coordinates with the garrison staff and subject matter experts to better identify the problem and work as a team to develop a solution,” Muench said.

Poulsen joined IMCOM-Europe in January 2018, after working for the Defense Logistics Agency in Germersheim since 2006. An architect by training, she worked on projects in the warehouses there, before turning to her current job.

“The more I dig into these contracts, the more excited I am about that field. Utilities never gets the attention it really deserves,” Poulsen said. “It’s really challenging, developing new contracting methods.”

She welcomes the challenge created by currently rising utility rates.

“That is something that motivates me, to see where we can save money. Where can we probably find a better procurement method or negotiate to save money, even if it’s a small amount,” she said.

* Marcus Fichtl, USAG Stuttgart, contributed to this story.

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Four members of the Alaska Army National Guard’s Golf Company, Detachment 1, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, received the 2021 Rescue of the Year award.

At approximately 1:30 p.m. Sept. 15, 2021, a sheep hunter activated his InReach satellite communication device to send an SOS signal to the Alaska State Troopers. He suffered minor cold-weather injuries and malnourishment near Cottonwood Creek, 40 miles northeast of Anchorage, down the Knik River Valley.

The hunter was stranded at an elevation of 5,750 feet for two days on a 3-by-3-foot ledge on a 50-degree slope when it started snowing and made it impossible to descend.

Once the AST received the distress signal, they requested assistance from the Guard through the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center. The AKRCC sent the request to the 207th AVN, where Capt. Cody McKinney accepted the mission as the pilot in command and prepared to launch a hoist-capable HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter with a medevac crew.

“When we got this call, the [cloud] ceilings were forecasted below the hunter, and we knew that it was a technical rescue if we could even get to him,” said McKinney, who is also deputy state Army aviation officer and commander of G-Company, 2-211th GSAB. “We thought, ‘What type of medevac unit are we if we don’t try?’ So we decided to launch knowing that we might not be able to get up to him, and we just talked through the mitigating factors.”

McKinney, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bradley Jorgensen, the mission co-pilot; Staff Sgt. Sonny Cooper, the helicopter crew chief and hoist operator; and Sgt. 1st Class Damion Minchaca, the flight paramedic and hoist rider, departed Bryant Army Airfield about one hour after the hunter sent his SOS.

The team was determined to rescue the hunter, according to McKinney. Weather forecasts predicted the early-winter snowstorm would only get worse, which would leave him stranded for at least another couple of days if the crew didn’t act quickly.

“We saw a small hole [in the clouds] tucked up against the mountains, so we took our opportunity to go up through there,” said McKinney. “Once you get in between two layers like that, there’s a risk that the hole closes up if there’s cloud movement, and there was. At that point, we were fully committed to this guy and to finishing the rescue.”

Once they made it through the base cloud layer, they used a dynamic hoist technique to retrieve the stranded hunter. Unlike a static hoist where the helicopter hovers over the target, the dynamic hoist technique allows for quicker, precise extraction without bringing the aircraft to a prolonged hover.

“We will fly towards the target, open the door, and bring the hoist rider out, all while we’re flying about 60 or 70 knots,” explained McKinney. “Then we approach the target while that hoist rider is also descending.”

The medevac team did this in white-out conditions, with minimal visibility.

“It’s basically as if we were inside of a ping pong ball where everything around you is white and you don’t have a good visual reference,” he explained. “And when you’re trying to do a hoist at almost 6,000 feet to a one-foot section, it’s fairly technical because a lot could go wrong.”

Once Minchaca landed on the ledge, he pushed the hunter back against the mountain wall so he couldn’t fall while he secured him in an aviation rescue vest. In just over one minute, the hunter was safe and being hoisted up into the helicopter to be transported to Palmer airport.

“[The mission] was just very technical, which set it apart from some of our other ones,” said McKinney. “Normally, when we go on a mission, we know that certain variables are taken care of, and in this case, we just didn’t know. We had a low probability of actually being able to get to him, and we went anyways, because that’s what we do.”

The rescue award will be officially presented to the four crew members in San Antonio, Texas, May 21 during the DUSTOFF Association annual awards banquet.

The association, established in 1980, is a nonprofit veterans’ organization for enlisted, officers, families, and others who have ever engaged in or supported Army aeromedical evacuation programs.

“It takes a tremendous amount of people involved in a rescue like this,” said McKinney. “The expectation is that we go out and do that, and it’s not possible unless we have trust of leadership, the RCC that’s willing to give us the mission, the Air Guard that cross-trains with us. Even though we’re getting highlighted, it was very much an Alaska National Guard joint operation.”

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As Kentucky continues its observance of Black History Month, Gov. Andy Beshear joined Col. Charles Young’s family members to celebrate the U.S. Department of Defense approving a posthumous honorary promotion of Young to the grade of brigadier general.

“I first learned about Brigadier General Charles Young from my grandfather; he knew the importance of remembering and honoring your roots,” said Lyndsay Railey, a member of Young’s family who joined the celebration with her mother, Susan Young Tabler, and her son, Elijah Railey. “Our ancestor’s heroic actions have always been a source of pride for the Young family. We are thankful that his service is finally being recognized on a state and federal level. A sincere thank you to Charles Blatcher and Gov. Andy Beshear for making today a reality.”

Joining Gov. Beshear and Young’s family for the celebration were, among others, Rev. Dr. James Thurman, Kentucky state commander, National Association for Black Veterans; Deputy Secretary of the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Lt. Col. Keith Jackson, USA, Retired; Charles Blatcher III, chairman, National Coalition of Black Veterans Organizations; Maj. Gen. Johnny K. Davis, commanding general, U.S. Army Cadet Command and Fort Knox, Kentucky; Col. Mark Thompson, deputy chief of staff, U.S. Army Recruiting Command; Congressman John Yarmuth; Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer; Secretary of the Executive Cabinet J. Michael Brown; Maj. Gen. Haldane B. Lamberton, Adjutant General of Kentucky; Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Whitney Allen; Aukram Burton, executive director, Kentucky Center for African American Heritage; Mason County Judge/Executive Owen McNeill; and Raoul Cunningham, president, Louisville Branch NAACP.

The Montford Point Marine Association presented the colors, Julia Ralston performed the national anthem and the 202^nd Army Band of the Kentucky National Guard performed The Army Song.

A general officer personal flag with one star, denoting the rank of brigadier general, was unrolled in Young’s honor and placed on display as part of his exhibit at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage. The center also received the honorary promotion certificate from Gov. Beshear’s posthumous promotion of Col. Young to the honorary rank of brigadier general in the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2020.

Last February, the Governor sent a letter to President Joe Biden encouraging him to promote Young within the U.S. Army. In a letter dated Nov. 1, 2021, Under Secretary of Defense Gilbert Cisneros Jr. informed the chairs of the U.S. House and Senate Armed Services committees of his decision to approve the request and Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth informed Charles Young’s family of the promotion on Jan. 19, 2022.

“Charles Young was a pioneer, especially in his military career, but also throughout his life,” said Gov. Beshear. “I was honored to promote Col. Young to brigadier general in the commonwealth two years ago, and I am pleased to announce that the honor has now been extended to the entire U.S. Army.”

While Gov. Beshear’s promotion of Young to brigadier general is recognized only in the commonwealth, the promotion by the Army provides national recognition of service by some of the earliest Black officers in our nation’s armed forces.

“Today we are focusing on the celebration of a true American hero who not only overcame numerous life-altering obstacles but accomplished legacy driven achievements because of them,” said Lt. Col. Keith Jackson, USA, Retired, Deputy Secretary of the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.

Charles Young was born in Mays Lick, Kentucky, in Mason County, to enslaved parents in 1864. He valued education throughout his life and graduated with honors from high school in Ohio, where his parents escaped slavery.

Young taught elementary school and eventually entered the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, where he was the academy’s third Black graduate. He went on to become the first Black military attaché to a foreign country and served in various assignments from Haiti and Liberia to Mexico and Nigeria. When he was medically discharged from active duty, Young was the highest-ranking Black officer in the military, having been promoted to colonel.

Following his death, Young was given full military honors and burial in Arlington National Cemetery, where Americans can remember his legacy as a leader, his perseverance despite obstacles and his heroic example to others.

“The promotion was pursued as an act of faith demonstrated through persistence,” Blatcher said. “It would not have been possible without the support and participation of many people. They believed like me that one day this would happen. Each have left a fingerprint on this project and a handprint on my heart. I salute you all. And Governor, we salute you.”

“What a significant moment to celebrate today – the posthumous promotion of Col. Charles Young to brigadier general! A man worthy of such an honor because of his perseverance, academic leadership, spirit of excellence and devotion to duty,” Maj. Gen. Davis, said. “As a soldier, diplomat and civil rights leader, Young made great strides for all, paving the way for future generations of leaders to excel.”

“Like so many heroes who have gone before us, Col. Young’s achievements continue to inspire and motivate current and future generations of soldiers in our great Army,” Col. Thompson, said. “We’re especially grateful for those who have seen fit to make this posthumous promotion to brigadier general a reality.”

“Charles Young’s life was the embodiment of perseverance, and any one single chapter of his story would be remarkable on its own,” Congressman Yarmuth said. “The heroism and selflessness he displayed throughout a life of service—all in the face of rampant racism and bigotry—is a testament to his dedication not only to his country but also his fellow man. No matter the test, Charles maintained the mettle and courage to carry on. I’m thrilled that this long overdue promotion has been granted to a native son of Kentucky, and am so proud to see Brigadier General Charles Young finally get the star he so earned and deserved in life.”

“Charles Young did everything he did at a time when Jim Crow infected almost everything, when laws, institutions and systems were organized against his success and the success of other people of color,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “We are here today for a justice delayed, but no longer denied. Thank you to Gov. Beshear and the countless others who advocated for the promotion of Charles Young, a man who believed a life in the military was the best way for him to serve as a role model for other Black Americans, to impact race in America, and to make our country a better place.”

“Charles Young was not only a dedicated soldier, he was a renaissance man,” Aukram Burton, executive director of the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage said, “Aside from being an outstanding soldier, he was a poet, composer, musician, and playwright. General Young was an accomplished linguist who taught Latin, Greek, French, Spanish and German at historically black Wilberforce University in Ohio, where he became close, lifetime friends with fellow faculty member W.E.B. DuBois. He was personal friends with major thought leaders of his time including W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, Paul Lawrence Dunbar and others. A quote from W.E.B. DuBois’s eulogy for General Young said, ‘The life of Charles Young was a triumph of tragedy.’ We truly salute him as we celebrate Black History Month throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the nation.”

The Army is tentatively planning a promotion ceremony at the U.S. Military Academy in April.

You can learn more about the life of Charles Young on the National Park Service website.

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RICHMOND, Va. – Even though military service seemed inevitable for Staff Sgt. Brandon L. Huntley, he tried to avoid it. Military service was his father’s thing, and Huntley felt strongly about forging his own path. But, as the years after high school passed, he still felt called to serve. At 25-years-old, he joined the Virginia Army National Guard, enlisting as a 19D cavalry scout as a nod to the Buffalo Soldiers who came before him.

“Black History Month means the world to me,” Huntley said. “A Black man was the first to die during the revolution for this country, so Black history is American history.”

Today, Huntley is assigned to the Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion working with new enlistees in the Recruit Sustainment Program.

“I am really proud of the young people I have assisted with joining our organization,” Huntley said. “Many hailed from disenfranchised communities and never thought they had an opportunity to pay for a higher education.”

Black History Month, for Huntley, is a time to “celebrate the contributions of others,” especially those who paved the way for his military service. Among the Black men and women Huntley mentioned are:

-Sgt. William Harvey Carney, who was born into slavery in 1840 and became the first Black recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions to protect the American Flag during the Civil War. According to the U.S. Army, Carney joined the Union Army in 1863 and was assigned to the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry Regiment, officially the first Black unit recruited for the Union.

-Lt. Vernon Baker, who, as a second lieutenant serving in Italy during World War II repeatedly engaged and destroyed enemy machine gun emplacements and observation posts and led an advance through enemy mine fields and heavy fire.

-Pfc. Milton Olive, who sacrificed his life during the Vietnam War to protect those of his comrades. While moving through the jungle with four other Soldiers, a grenade was thrown into their midst. Olive, acting quickly, grabbed the grenade and fell on it. He was the first Black recipient of the Medal of Honor from the Vietnam War.

-Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn C. Cashe, whose vehicle was struck by an IED during a nighttime mounted patrol in Iraq in 2005. As the vehicle burned, Cashe extracted six Soldiers and their interpreter from the flames, which resulted in burns on nearly 72 percent of his body. Still, when helicopters came to retrieve the wounded, Cashe refused evacuation until the rest of the wounded were evacuated.

-Pvt. Cathay Williams, who enlisted into the U.S. Army as “William Cathay,” and is the only woman known to have served as a Buffalo Soldier. She’s also the only known woman to serve in the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars.

Leaders like retired Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, who last commanded U.S. Forces in Korea, and Lloyd Austin, the secretary of defense, also made his list, as did his father, who he considers a personal hero and teacher.

“All of these individuals have had to endure many hardships, mostly unjust, to make my time in the U.S. military possible and easier than theirs,” Huntley said.

Huntley credits his father with instilling in him a strong desire to continue educating himself on his culture and community. Black History Month means a lot to Huntley as a Black man. He said celebrating, learning about and recognizing culture and diversity is an important part of strengthening the force.

“It is very important to include everyone from different races, cultures, genders and preferences,” he said. “If diversity is at the forefront, Soldiers can feel comfortable trusting their leaders, peers and subordinates.”

This month, and every month, Huntley encourages education. Race, he says, is a social construct, something humans have created. Now that it’s part of our collective American culture, we must understand it.

“Take the time to educate yourselves and understand why Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans cry so loudly for justice, understanding and accountability,” he said. Those cries, he says, are not about instilling “white guilt,” but an attempt to foster “white understanding.”

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County officials are asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to install a gate on the Rocky Dam to reduce the chances of another major flood in the area as happened most recently around Memorial Day weekend 2021.

The Chaves County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 to approve a resolution requesting the gate, indicating in the document that the 2021 flooding resulted in “undue human suffering and hardship.”

From May 28 to June 1, Chaves County and its municipalities — Roswell, Dexter, Hagerman and Lake Arthur — experienced what has been called a “100-year rain event,” which for this area of New Mexico is considered 5 inches of precipitation within 24 hours. According to the National Weather Service, rain began in the Roswell area on May 28, with the area receiving 5.05 inches of rain from then until May 30. The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network had reports of an additional 1.02 inches of rain in the county on June 1.

Although no deaths in the county were recorded as a result of the storm, residents and businesses reported destroyed and damaged homes, buildings, schools and agricultural equipment and businesses, as well as the loss of pets, farm animals and livestock.

The city of Roswell and Chaves County received emergency funding of $750,000 each from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in early June to help cover damages to public buildings and infrastructure and for other flood recovery efforts.

Chaves County Flood Commission officials have said that the flooding in south Roswell and Midway happened after the breach of a Hondo River flood diversion levee west of Roswell. And both city and county officials have said that the diversion breach was caused in large part because Rocky Dam is ungated, allowing the water from the dam to pour into the Rio Hondo as well as the Rocky Arroyo stream.

The Rocky Dam is part of the Twin Rivers Dam maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that is about 14 miles southwest of Roswell. The other dam, the Diamond A Dam, has a gate that was used during the 2021 storm to retain water.

Because Rocky Dam was ungated, heavy rainwaters “flowed unchecked until the dam was drained. This ultimately overpowered the drainage channel and caused the failure of the Hondo River Diversion Levee #3,” the county resolution states.

The resolution also indicates that Chaves County Flood Commission officials have been asking the Corps of Engineers for a gate since at least 2006, including in a letter written in April 2007.

City and county officials also met with the Corps of the Engineers when the 2021 flooding began, with city officials asking if the Army group could install some type of temporary barriers on Rocky Dam.

Tim Jennings, the current Chaves County flood commissioner, gave commissioners an update on some of the commission’s efforts, including with the levee diversion. The breach in the berm was repaired in the days following the flood, and work continues to widen it by 12 feet and deepen it by 4 feet.

“From the topography that is out there, it is still possible to have a rain and still flood parts of Roswell. This does not alleviate all the problem,” Jennings said.

He said that he appreciated the county resolution in support of the Rocky Dam gate and that he has spoken with a person in Roswell who works with the Corps of Engineers who assured him that he was wiling to ask about a gate and the possibility of securing federal funds for it.

Another possibility, Jennings said, would be to build another dam to divert water toward the Felix River. He estimated the cost at $12 million or more.

A Corps of Engineers spokesperson did not respond by press time to a request for information. According to one of the group’s websites, the Twin River Dam was finished in August 1963 and authorized in 1954 following a “disastrous” flood in the area in 1941. Other major floods prior to the dam completion occurred in 1937 and 1954.

Lisa Dunlap can be reached at 575-622-7710, ext. 351, or at [email protected].