Holloman Youth Leader Signs Military Child Month Proclamation with Wing Commander

Miguel Garza stood inside the Youth and Teen Center on Holloman Air Force Base on April 3 and put his signature next to that of Col. John T. "Friar" Ethridge, commander of the 49th Wing, on the Month of the Military Child Proclamation. Garza arrived at the ceremony as the 2026 New Mexico Military Youth of the Year, a Boys & Girls Clubs of America distinction that had already delivered him $3,500 in combined scholarships and a berth in the Southwest regional competition.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America named Garza its New Mexico Military Youth of the Year after evaluating his leadership and sustained participation in Holloman's Youth and Teen Center programs. His recognition came with a $2,500 scholarship from BGCA nationally, a $1,000 scholarship from the New Mexico Area Council, and an iPad mini. He then advanced to represent New Mexico at the regional level.

For military families across northern New Mexico, including those with ties to Los Alamos County, Garza's path maps exactly what the Youth of the Year pipeline can unlock. The BGCA program evaluates youth on leadership, academic performance, and community service, with scholarship dollars awarded at every step from local installation to national competition. Military families whose children participate in base-affiliated Boys & Girls Clubs programs are eligible to enter that same ladder, regardless of which New Mexico installation they call home.

April carries that recognition nationally. The Month of the Military Child dates to 1986, when then-Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger established the observance to acknowledge more than one million military children managing the particular weight of service life: repeated relocations, mid-year school transfers, parental deployments, and extended separations. The Pentagon and military support organizations use the month to name that sacrifice publicly rather than expect families to absorb it quietly.

At Holloman, the observance continues through the rest of April with "Purple Up!" events, school "Clap-Ins," and programming at the Youth and Teen Center. April 15 is National Purple Up! Day, when communities wear purple, the official color of the observance, blended to represent all military branches, in a visible show of solidarity with military children. The 49th Wing has also signaled plans to deepen partnerships with local schools, the City of Alamogordo, and organizations across Otero County throughout the month.

Garza is not the first Holloman youth to reach this level. Brianna Sheperd, daughter of Master Sgt. Duane Sheperd of the 49th Wing, previously won the Boys & Girls Club of New Mexico Military Youth of the Year title and a $1,000 college scholarship, also advancing to regional competition. That back-to-back achievement points to something more durable than individual talent: a Youth and Teen Center that has learned how to develop and elevate its young leaders year after year.

Col. Ethridge, who assumed command of the 49th Wing in May 2024, co-signed the proclamation as the ceremony's senior authority. The event was photographed by Airman 1st Class Elijah Strickland and Airman Jose Veras.