A family tradition: Service links generations of Wuerz men [Las Cruces Sun-News, N.M.]

Feb. 07--LAS CRUCES -- "Hey dad, we did it!"

Jason Wuerz's exclamation went from the graduation ceremony of his Army ROTC Leadership Development and Accessions Course in Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma, Wash., to his father in Las Cruces, via streaming video, then, to his brother in Iraq, thanks to Skype, the video chat service.

It was a proud family moment, all thanks to modern communication technology.

Wuerz's graduation in August meant he was his family's fourth cadet, in three generations. Last December, when Wuerz graduated from New Mexico State University, he became the fourth commissioned lieutenant in the family.

"It's a point of pride," said Randy Wuerz, Jason's father and a defense contractor at White Sands Missile Range. "So many kids don't have a focus or a particular goal in life ... most people will take the easiest route. The Army is not easiest route, but I think it's most rewarding."

He has seen first-hand evidence of that.

Randy, 56, is the father of Jason, 23, and Ryan, 26 -- the aforementioned soldier in Iraq. He's also the son of Bill Wuerz, 84, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War.

All four Wuerz men took different paths to the military, but they are united in that none of them planned to join the Army.

Bill's great-grandfather fought for the North in the Civil War, but he didn't consider the military. Bill, however, didn't have much of a choice; he was among the millions drafted into service for World War II.

He

then earned his business degree from Denver University, where he matriculated due to its specific ROTC program. After graduating, Bill returned to the Army, serving as a quartermaster officer in the Korean conflict.

Later, Bill worked for a major insurance carrier before branching out into his own insurance business. He retired at 75.

"I believe all boys should go in the service to see what they are made of," said Bill, from his home in Sterling, Colo.

Despite that strong belief, Bill didn't force his son or grandsons into service.

Randy said he always believed his career would be in business, so he pursued an MBA. Along the way, he entered the ROTC program.

"I tried it out, liked it and ended up staying 20 years," he said.

Randy worked for several years, in varying capacities, with air defense. Eventually he took a position with NMSU as the ROTC recruiter. He retired from the Army having achieved the rank of major and obtaining his MBA from NMSU.

Those that have followed local high school sports probably recognize the Wuerz name from Mayfield football. Ryan (Class of 2003) and Jason (2006) played significant roles in the success of the Trojans program during their time at the school.

Ryan and Jason each said their experience in athletics influenced their military career.

Ryan could see how his father and grandfather benefited their Army stints, but it wasn't something that was an everyday part of his home life.

"It's not like I had to stand at attention when I talked to my dad," he said.

There was, however, a conversation with his father that certainly made him think.

"My senior year of high school, my dad came up to me an said, "How are you going to pay for school?' It opened my eyes. I had the lottery scholarship (to NMSU), but it wasn't that much money."

So, Ryan entered the ROTC program at NMSU. It helped him pay for school and some living expenses. After graduating, he served a tour in Iraq, working alongside that country's border patrol. He is in Colorado now, at Fort Carson, but he will soon be with the California National Guard as a company commander.

Ryan looked back at when he was commissioned as lieutenant. He remembers Jason being a different person then.

"He always had long hair, and had a hippie look about him," Ryan said. "He was late to class sometimes, had some debt."

Then, things started to change.

"The day after I commissioned, he went and talked to the major (at NMSU)," Ryan said. "He tried it out and he excelled at it."

The latest of member of the Wuerz family to become a commissioned lieutenant probably took the least likely road.

Said Jason of the military life: "It was always something I steered away from. I wanted to continue with sports. Sports had been my life. ... I came to find out, you can still do that in the Army."

As he talked with My Las Cruces, Jason was at a local driving range, keeping his golf game sharp. The next day he was head to Fort Gordon in Georgia, which is just minutes from what may be America's most idyllic and iconic course, Augusta National Golf Club, home of The Masters.

After winning state championships in football and golf his senior year at Mayfield, Jason had a golf scholarship at Western New Mexico. A short time later, he transferred to NMSU and was studying engineering. It didn't seem like the right fit.

Jason found the right fit in the Army. He placed fifth among 460 cadets in training at Fort Lewis in Washington.

At Fort Gordon, he will be in the signal corps, but also working to qualify, eventually, for the Armed Forces golf team with the hope of parlaying that into a professional career.

Bill, Randy, Ryan and Jason all spent significant training time early in their military careers at Fort Lewis. They even stayed in the same barracks, as determined from photos.

"It was pretty cool," Ryan said. "Granted, those barracks were not that good when I was there, but that was a great feeling."

James Staley can be reached at (575) 541-5476

___

(c)2012 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)

Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services