KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Community and civic partners joined their team Kirtland counterparts for a golf outing May 4 at the Kirtland Golf Course. More than 80 people took part in the inaugural event, including 50 members competing in a best-ball golf tournament.
Honorary commander Ralph Arellanes, who is paired with 377th Air Base Wing Vice Commander Col. Dawn Nickell, said the event and the program overall are a great opportunity to share about the military and New Mexico.
“It’s a beautiful day, and people are having a great time,” he said. “I’m honored to be an honorary commander. My father was a World War II veteran who was stationed on this base.”
As the chairman New Mexico’s Hispano Roundtable and the executive director of New Mexico’s League of United Latin American Citizens, Arellanes is an aficionado of New Mexican history and culture, including its military history.
“I appreciate being on this base and getting to know the commanders on a peer level,” he said, after talking New Mexico history over lunch.
Arellanes’ great grandparents took part in the Civil War, including at the Battles of Alverde and Glorietta Pass. He noted that New Mexico currently has the highest percentage of military veterans of any state.
“Our history–New Mexico with Kirtland AFB--runs deep, so I appreciate that a lot of the commanders and military folks understand and appreciate New Mexico and its history,” Arrellanes said.
Opportunities to share with civilian leaders like Arellanes are abundant at Kirtland. The Honorary Commanders Program is the largest in the Air Force, with 112 members (including 56 civic partners).
Program director Joanne Perkins said the program has an active schedule to ensure commanders have time to form effective relationships with community partners.
“We put a lot of work into this program because we are focused on achieving lasting and meaningful partnerships between our Team Kirtland leadership and the pillars of our community,” Perkins said. “Events like today’s golf tournament give people time and opportunity to share, exchange ideas and have fun.”
Thirteen foursome combinations competed for the honor of winning the first Honorary CC’s tournament. The foursome made up of honorary commanders and Airmen the from the 377th Logistics Readiness Squadron, 377th Civil Engineering Squadron, and the 377th Security Forces Squadron, took the trophy, going seven under par on the day.