News
Hundreds Pay Respects to King

Three Trails in 30 Years

Around the Area

Briefs

Range of Projects Displayed at Expo

Estancia Teen Gets Worldwide Education

CNM To Offer Courses in Edgewood

DWI Memorial Needs Help To Stay Open

Bidding Process To Start on Arts Center

Mother of 5 Arrested in Fatal Stabbing

More
News

HOME	CLASSIFIEDS	OBITUARIES	SPORTS	OPINION

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Pitch for Tijeras Vets' Memorial On the Air

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
    The mayor of Tijeras' views on veterans may have been broadcast to up to 50,000 people on Sunday.
    In an on-air interview on Albuquerque radio station 1600 AM, Mayor Gloria Chavez said she was grateful to the veterans of foreign wars, who defended her freedoms— one of whom is running for mayor.
    "We have some unusual freedoms in this country," Don Davis agreed during the interview. Davis is the owner of Vanguard Media LLC, which owns both 1600 AM and 1550 AM.
    He gave the example of his freedom to run independent radio stations.
    "You're not going to get that (freedom) in Cuba," said disk jockey Eddie Rael, who has an oldies radio show called Rael's Rock and Roll Revival.
    During a music break, Davis said his two stations reach 50,000 people a week.
    For the past few months, Davis' 1600 AM station has been donating air time to solicit donations for a proposed memorial to veterans of foreign wars in Tijeras.
    The design for the memorial is a circular wall with decorative rock work, designed to look like the walls found in ruins like Chaco Canyon, on the outside curve. It will be part of the Luis Garcia Park between the East Mountain Library and the historic Holy Child Church.
    Luis Garcia was a Tijeras teen who was killed in a notorious shooting along with two friends as they sat in their car in Sandia Knolls on May 29, 1999.
    The structure for the veterans memorial is expected to cost $60,000, and decorative rock work around it would be an additional $83,000.
    The village's lobbyist will ask for $115,000 for the park and memorial at the upcoming legislative session.
    In addition, the village hopes to fund art work that may include plaques for the memorial commemorating specific wars, likely starting with Vietnam.
    The idea for the veterans memorial came from Mayor Chavez's husband, Jimmy. While driving through Estancia, he said, he saw a black prisoner of war flag commemorating Vietnam veterans and decided that Tijeras should have a monument to veterans.
    He has been soliciting help in funding the project ever since then.
    According to the mayor, there is now enough money to break ground on the memorial on March 1.
    GCC Rio Grande Portland Cement Inc. in Tijeras donated $10,000 to the memorial without being solicited to do so.
    David Wilson, whose wife, Maxine Wilson, is on the Tijeras Village Council, is helping Jimmy Chavez to solicit funding for the veterans memorial. In fact, he was the first to approach Davis to request air time on the radio.
    Wilson said donations don't have to be monetary.
    "We'll take any help we can get," he said.
    He also said the plan is for the memorial to grow over time, and plaques or art work will be added to commemorate veterans of wars other than Vietnam.
    To start with, he said, "we want something ... brick and mortar, where people can see some progress ... as the money comes in, we'll add to it."
    Wilson said he plans to get other politicians on the air to endorse the memorial. He is on the air during Rael's show on Sundays begining at 3 p.m.