As the new Readiness/Training NCO at the National Guard Armory, Gabriel Trujeque is planning to revitalize the local detachment and to improve the local facility.
While carrying out his plans for the local detachment, Trujeque hopes to implement an adventure training program that will include more extreme activities such as rapelling.
“We’re going to try to make things a little more exciting,” Trujeque said, adding that the adventure training will be in addition to the detachment’s primary training criteria.
Trujeque plans to make cosmetic improvements to the local National Guard facility, beginning with the replacement of the large sign identifying the detachment, which was recently vandalized.
Trujeque came to Artesia last month from Louisiana where he lived the past seven years and served in the active guard and reserve.
Having been raised in Albuquerque, Trujeque said he was glad to have the opportunity to move to Artesia and “come home” to the State of New Mexico.
“I got the opportunity to come back to the state and I jumped all over it,” he said, adding, “It’s good to be in a state that understands what I mean when I say I want green chiles on my hamburger.”
Trujeque joined the National Guard in 1983 and has served for 18 years.
“What made me join at the time was first and foremost the opportunity to fire a big gun,” he said.
From there, his career developed into more than just a weekend experience.
And yes, he has had the opportunity to fire plenty of big guns along the way.
Trujeque has fired everything from a 9 millimeter to a sub-machine gun to M16s to Hawk missiles, and has been trained in a variety of weaponry, including the M-42 Duster and the Chaparral System, both air defense systems that “definitely get the blood going,” he said.
Trujeque was also trained as a tank commander, which he says was the most exciting position he has held.
“When you fire a big gun on a tank, you have to make sure everyone is synchronized or you can get someone injured or killed,” he said, adding that the roar and recoil from tank weaponry is very impressive.
Trujeque genuinely enjoys his career with the National Guard, and it shows.
“When a plan flows through, or you see a young soldier meet a milestone in his life, that definitely makes it worth it,” he said.
Approximately 25 men, who are the Detachment 1, Battery B, 1st Battalion combat unit, gather at the local facility each month for weekend training.
The detachment is trained at the local facility, at a site outside of Roswell and at the firing range in Carlsbad, where soldiers go for small arms qualification. They also attend annual training for two weeks each year between May and August.
It is Trujeque’s job, with the support of the parent company in Carlsbad and the battalion in Roswell, to make all the arrangements for the training sessions and to “make sure the guys are paid, fed and clothed.”
Trujeque points out that in addition to hands-on training, the Montgomery GI Bill enables soldiers to continue their education while they serve in the National Guard.
“The opportunities for education are just fantastic,” Trujeque said, adding that he would like to see more Artesians take advantage of those opportunities by becoming members of the local detachment.
He encourages anyone, ages 17 to 36, who is interested in serving in the National Guard to call him or come by the Armory.
“If I can’t answer your questions, I’ll get someone who can,” he said.
Trujeque said he and his wife, Kim, and his daughter, Amanda, are looking forward to becoming full-time members of the Artesia community. Kim is finishing the current semester of college in Louisiana, and Amanda is finishing the eighth grade. The two plan to move to Artesia in May when school is out.
In the few weeks that he has been in town, Artesians have been warm and friendly, welcoming him and even offering a tour of the town, Trujeque said.
“I prefer a small town because of the closeness of the community.”