A Mountainair native and 13-year Army veteran received a donated wheelchair Saturday that his family desperately needed after encountering delays in the federal veterans’ system, highlighting challenges faced by disabled veterans across the state.
James Greene, a Mountainair native who now lives in Rio Rancho with his wife Heather, was one of the first American soldiers deployed to Afghanistan in October 2001 and served multiple combat tours as a flight and combat medic before being medically retired. His mobility challenges had left Heather struggling to help him get around, according to State Sen. Jay Block, who organized the wheelchair donation.
“James was one of the guys who went into Afghanistan in October of ’01. We started combat operations on October 7 of 2001. James was one of the first Americans in there in the war on terrorism to take out the Taliban,” Block said at the presentation ceremony Saturday at VFW Post 5890. “When our guys needed help on the battlefield, James flew in, risked his life to save otherwise, that’s what he did.”
The donation came together through an unusual chain of community connections. Block, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who represents District 12 in the state Senate, had been working with his staff to find a veteran who needed a wheelchair that had been donated by an anonymous benefactor. Meanwhile, Susana Vasquez, owner of Pet Food Gone Wild in southern Rio Rancho, contacted Block about Greene’s situation.
“Susanna contacted me and said, ‘Hey, Jay, I have a veteran who needs some help. His wife is having a hard time getting him around, and he needs a wheelchair,'” Block said.
The timing proved critical. Block called Heather Greene while she was at the hospital emergency room with her husband, who was being treated for medical issues related to his service-connected disabilities.
“She just broke down crying,” Block said of the phone call, describing it as “probably one of the toughest times that they were having.”
Greene’s situation reflects broader challenges facing New Mexico’s 136,204 veterans, who represent 8.3% of the state’s adult civilian population. According to federal data, 36.5% of New Mexico veterans have disabilities, nearly twice the rate of non-veterans.
Veterans seeking mobility equipment through the Department of Veterans Affairs typically must navigate the Auto-Adaptive Grant process, which requires submitting Form 21-4502 and can take months for approval. VA disability claims currently average 136 days to process, according to Veterans Benefits Administration reports.
“We all know as veterans, some of us have had some issues with the VA and I want to thank every VA Secretary, whether Republican or Democrat, doesn’t matter,” Block said during the ceremony. “But we have a hard time having the VA kind of respond in a rapid manner to help us out, or it’s just a very convoluted process.”
Block contrasted the federal challenges with state-level support, praising New Mexico Department of Veterans Services Secretary Jamison Herrera, a retired brigadier general.
New Mexico offers extensive state benefits for veterans, including property tax exemptions for disabled veterans and free state park access that Block recently helped pass through legislation signed in March.
VFW Post 5890, established in 2010 at 76 Unser Blvd NE in Rio Rancho, has become a hub for veteran support activities. The post, which can be reached at (505) 891-2470, actively supports both local veterans and community members.
“Sometimes veterans get lost in the cracks, and James was one of those,” Block said.
Greene expressed gratitude for the community support during his remarks at the presentation.
“As a veteran, we wrote a blank check, and for the VA to be stingy with that and think they can mess the money away elsewhere,” Greene said at the ceremony. “Basically, it’s to the point where I’m having trouble walking, getting around. And it’s not going to get better. It’s getting worse over time, but I feel as though the VA, in general, has abandoned me because of a lot of the garbage is not going through.”
Despite his frustrations with federal services, Greene emphasized appreciation for community support. “I want to say thank you to whoever donated it. Thank you. Appreciate it,” he said.
Block said there is a broader significance of community members stepping up when federal systems fall short.
“This is not just veterans taking care of veterans, but extraordinary people,” Block said. “We’ve got to take better care of our veterans so they don’t fall through the cracks, and then we have extraordinary people that step up and do what they do to have a huge impact in James’s life and Heather’s life.”
The wheelchair donation enables Greene to be more mobile and reduces the physical strain on his wife.
“Today, he can be more mobile, he can go out, even with the grandbabies and I don’t have to push him in the chair. He can go and not have to worry,” Heather Greene said.
Block, who served in the Air Force from 1989 to 2016 and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel before becoming a nuclear weapons consultant, was elected to the state Senate in November 2024 and assumed office on January 1, 2025. He previously served as a Sandoval County commissioner.
Veterans in Sandoval County and surrounding areas seeking assistance can contact the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services, which maintains field offices across the state and can be reached at their main office for benefit assistance.
The VFW Post 5890 in Rio Rancho also provides support and resources for local veterans and can be contacted at (505) 891-2470.
For veterans facing mobility challenges, several organizations provide assistance with wheelchair-accessible vehicle funding and mobility equipment, including programs specifically for New Mexico residents.
