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Contact: Gail Gitcho 202-225-2365

Iraq troops honored in Mesilla
by Steve Ramirez/staff writer

Mesilla , May 16, 2004 - MESILLA — Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Nychole Ramirez of Las Cruces said she got chills Saturday as she listened to the Gadsden High School jazz ensemble play the national anthem and “America.”

“I’m on leave right now, but I’m being deployed at the end of the month,” said Ramirez, who will be serving on the USS Belleauwood. “Every time I hear those songs I still get chills.”

A rally in support of U.S. military personnel who are serving in Iraq was conducted Saturday — which was also Armed Forces Day — on the Mesilla Plaza.

No official count was kept, but it was estimated that more than 100 people attended the rally, which was sponsored by the town of Mesilla, city of Las Cruces, and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M.

As a member of the military, Ramirez said it meant a lot to her that people take the time to recognize her and her comrades in arms.

“You’re so far away from home that it’s a good feeling just to go to the Internet and look up what the weather is in Las Cruces,” Ramirez said. “A newspaper from home is worth gold. Having people come out like this to support our military means a lot to everyone who is so far away. It means a lot to us that people appreciate the job everyone is doing, because it is a job that an overwhelming majority of the military is doing extremely well.”

Peace echoed those same feelings. While he acknowledged to the crowd that the abuse of Iraqi prisoners of war do not reflect well on the United States, he said the American military, as a whole, should be not negatively characterized.

“We do not want this to be a reflection of the courage and honor of the military personnel who are bravely and gallantly serving there,” Peace said. “Let us not be distracted. The extreme few who are responsible for their isolated actions are not representative of what the military, or this country, is about.”

Dolores Archuleta, mayor pro tem of Las Cruces, agreed.
“Our military needs our support today more than ever,” she said.

Pearce said the accomplishments of the U.S. military while in Iraq have been many. Among those, he said the U.S. military has uprooted of the Taliban, seriously disrupted the operations of al-Qaida terrorists camps, stopped a funding network for terrorist activities, and dismantled an open marketing system for selling parts for nuclear weapons.

There was also one more accomplishment that drew rousing applause from the crowd.

“Saddam Hussein sits in a jail along with 44 of his top officials,” Pearce said, as the crowd cheered.

“Our troops are the wedge between freedom and terrorism.”
Pearce also took time to recognize four New Mexicans — three men and one woman — who have died while serving in Iraq.

He said their deaths while defending the United States will not be in vain.

“The fight for freedom against terrorism will be long and hard, make no mistake about it,” Pearce said. “The only way we can be defeated is if we lose our resolve. And it is on these street corners that we, as Americans, will win or lose the war on terrorism.”

If Ramirez needed any more reasons to serve in the Navy she only has to look at her child.

“I’ve got a 2 1/2-year-old son,” Ramirez said as her voice began to crack with emotion. “It’s going to be hard, very hard, to leave him. But I’m doing this for him, so that his life can be safe.”




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