Brig. Gen. Matthew Henry of the NM Air National Guard presents WNMU Provost and Acting President Jack Crocker with a lithograph depicting some of the aircraft the organization has flown over the years, June 30, 2025.
SILVER CITY, NM—Brig. Gen. Matthew Henry and members of the New Mexico Air National Guard were on the WNMU campus June 30, 2025, to thank Provost and Acting President Jack Crocker for the university's housing of service members during the Trout Fire.
The Trout Fire began June 12. NM National Guard personnel were deployed to Grant County after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared an emergency due to the fire.
Henry said that helping communities face emergencies is a personal matter for those serving. "This is a team effort," he stated. "Whenever we have a wildfire or flood here in the state, it becomes very personal. Your communities are being affected, but we are from the community. Whether it is here or your outlying areas, we have airmen and soldiers that are part of the community."
Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Sandoval, who also attended the meeting, said that wildfire response is a common deployment for the NM National Guard. "We do this a lot. It is unfortunate that every year, we are going through this fire season," he stated. "But the support is truly felt on our side."
Henry praised Director of Housing and Residence Life Jason Quimby for his unhesitating response offering housing assistance when the National Guard reached out. "We had our folks hours away," he explained. "They were doing this complex logistical machination to try and get folks here, and then we got here on your campus safe, secure and closer to the fight."
As a token of thanks, Henry presented the university with a framed lithograph depicting some of the aircraft that the NM Air National Guard has flown over the years as well as patches and pins commemorating the 75th anniversary of the organization.
Crocker said that the university community was proud to be able to partner with the National Guard. "We see that as part of our responsibility because we are a community asset as well as a publicly funded institution," he said.
###
Since 1893, Western New Mexico University has served the people in its region as a comprehensive, rural, public body. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution and the state's only public Applied Liberal Arts and Sciences university, WNMU is committed to developing cross-cultural opportunities that encourage people to explore new experiences. The WNMU student body represents every segment of southwest New Mexico's diverse population.
