Lt. Gen. Edward Baca
JANUARY 27, 1938 – September 15, 2020
Legacy of the New Mexico National Guard – Lt. Gen. Edward Baca
Video: courtesy of New Mexico National Guard, YouTube
Burial Site: SFNC, Section N, Site 9 Map: https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/ngl/NGLMap?ID=10147833
Retired Lt. Gen. Edward D Baca enlisted in the New Mexico Army National Guard in 1956, he was assigned to Charlie Battery, 76th Anti- Aircraft Artillery. Baca graduated from Officer Candidate School in 1962 and then became platoon leader of the 363st Maintenance Company. When the Vietnam War started, Baca volunteered for active duty in 1966.After Vietnam Baca returned to the New Mexico National Guard. In 1983 Governor Toney Anaya appointed Baca the Adjutant General of New Mexico, Governors Garry Carruthers and Bruce King also appointed Baca to the post. One of his accomplishments as Adjunct General was the “modernization of the New Mexico National Guard.” Baca is credited for deploying the Army’s only Roland Air Defense battalions well as the Chaparral, Hawk and Patriot missile battalions. In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Baca as the first Hispanic chief of the National Guard Bureau. While Baca’s accomplishments were well noted, his most treasured was honoring the New Mexico National Guard Bataan Death March survivors.
Notes:
- Santa Fe New Mexican, 20 September, Newspaper.com
- “A soldiers Story,” by Matlock Stacy, The Taos News, September 20, 2020. P.1
Prepared by Steve Martinez, Ph.D. Santa Fe Community College