2012 US Army Birthday Dinner - Celebrating 237 Years!
Lekson Chapter’s April 2012 General Membership Meeting
The Chapter held its monthly general membership meeting on April 21st. It was the Chapter’s turn to host this meeting in conjunction with the Albuquerque Military Coalition at the Marriott Hotel. Both the AUSA Lekson Chapter and the Albuquerque Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) presented JROTC and ROTC awards.
The guest speaker was Col Paul W Tibbets IV, USAF. Col Tibbets is currently the Commander of the USAF Inspection Agency at Kirtland Air Force Base and is the grandson of BG Paul W Tibbets Jr, the pilot of the Enola Gay, the B-29 aircraft that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan in WWII.
Col Tibbets spoke of his Air Force career and provided some antidotes of his grandfather’s family life and career. The Chapter was honored to have Col Tibbets take part in the awarding of the Lekson Chapter’s first-place scholarship award to Cadet Colonel Shaylin Todeschi of Bloomfield High School.
(L-R) Cadet Todeschi’smother, USAF Col Paul Tibbets IV, Cadet Col Shaylyn Todeschi with scholarship award and medal, ARMY JROTC Advisor Jeff Rabuck& Lekson Chapter President Col Gary Kloppenburg (USA, RET)
Moriarty JROTC Award
On May 9, 2012 Lekson Chapter President Col Gary Kloppenburg (USA Ret) and Chapter Secretary CW4 Joe Opuszenski (USA Ret) attended the Moriarty High School JROTC Annual Awards Ceremony.
Gary awarded Cadet Major Jacob Marksberry with the AUSA JROTC medal.
The battalion presenting arms
Cadet Major Jacob Marksberry with his mother, grandmother and Gary Kloppenburg
University of New Mexico Scholarship/Awards Program
The Lekson Chapter is a supporter of the University of New Mexico’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps programs (ROTC) in the northern half of the state. Chapter members attend various ROTC functions throughout the year. The Chapter awards one monetary scholarship in the amount of 750 dollars to the outstanding cadets based on a school records review and participation in their ROTC programs.
In May of this year (2012) Cadet Troy Wells of the University of New Mexico Army ROTC was awarded a scholarship of 750 dollars. He was selected due to being in the top 10% in ROTC grades and the top 25% in academic grades and for contributing the most, through leadership, to advancing the standing of the ROTC department at the University of New Mexico.
The military advisor for Cadet Wells is SFC Fairbanks (Military Science Instructor)
Chapter President Gary Kloppenburg congratulating Cadet Wells
