By Kevin Hendricks — The Paper.
Dozens of Rio Rancho residents, veterans and elected officials gathered Monday morning at Veterans Memorial/Monument Park to honor the men and women who died in military service — marking Memorial Day with music, prayer and community ceremony organized by local veterans groups.
Mayor Paul Wymer read a formal proclamation designating May 25, 2026 as Memorial Day in Rio Rancho, calling on residents to join in the day’s observance. “Their sacrifice ensures the freedoms we enjoy every day,” he said, “and their courage will never be forgotten.” Wymer and Frankie Rue, a Vietnam-era Marine and New Mexico commandant of the Marine Corps League, presented a ceremonial wreath during the service — a traditional tribute symbolizing remembrance for the fallen.
The meaning of the day
State Sen. Jay Block — a former Sandoval County commissioner and Air Force veteran who served in Afghanistan — said the ceremony carried special weight for those who had seen combat firsthand. “It’s a day that all Americans should set aside and thank all these men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country, for the freedoms that we enjoy today,” Block said.
Block noted that New Mexico still has servicemembers listed as missing in action from the Korean War — a detail raised during the ceremony. “I think it’s important to remember them and to not rest until we bring them home back to their families,” he said.
Passing the legacy
Frankie Rue served as a Marine — first as a mortarman, then with a recon unit based in Albuquerque — before a spinal injury in 1980 left him in a wheelchair.
For Rue, the sight of families with children attending the ceremony was the day’s most meaningful moment. “It’s the icing on the cake for me,” he said, “watching all these different men and women and families with kids coming in, and the parents being able to hand this legacy down to their children.” Rue said the ceremony’s recognition of police officers and firefighters alongside military veterans reflected the breadth of that service. “Whether you’re a police officer or a firefighter, it doesn’t matter — you’re serving your country in a tremendous way.”
The ceremony also included traditional military tributes: the Battlefield Cross — a rifle, helmet and boots representing a fallen soldier — and the Missing Man Table, set with a single place setting to symbolize those who never returned. A bell tolling, originating from an 1865 telegraph code used to announce the death of an official, closed the formal program. Rio Rancho author Michael Haas’s original poem, I Answered My Country’s Call, was presented by Army Maj. Tony Ramirez.
City Councilors Bob Tyler, Nicole List and Deb Dapson attended, along with State Reps. Catherine Cullen and Joshua Hernandez. Former Rio Rancho mayor and current gubernatorial candidate Gregg Hull also attended the ceremony.