The Nevada Army National Guard inducted three new members to its Hall of Fame Sunday at state headquarters in Carson City.
Also honored were 37 soldiers who have retired from military service since September 2007.
Previously retired soldiers inducted into this year's Hall of Fame include Lt. Col.
Sharlee Smith of Reno, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Leo Fruzza of Sparks and Sgt. 1st Class Carmen Rank of Walker Lake. All three soldiers spent most of their careers working at the Office of the Adjutant General in Carson City.
Col. Michael Carlson, chief of staff, said the annual ceremony recognizes guardsmen who have contributed at least 20 years to the military. The retirees account for hundreds of years of experience.
"Of the 37 retirees, they have a total of 874 years in uniform," Carlson said. "That averages to 23.6 years per individual."
Carlson also said Hall of Fame inductees still volunteer "their time and themselves after their own retirements" in order to make the Nevada Army National Guard a better organization.
Brig. Gen. Frank Gonzales, Commander of Army Guard for Nevada, congratulated the retirees and Hall of Fame inductees in his opening remarks.
"These people here put service (to their country) ahead of making money," he said.
Gonzales also discussed the role of the National Guard and how he and State Command Sgt. Major Stephen Sitton shake the hands of all guardsmen when they leave the country for either Iraq or Afghanistan and when they return.
The newest members of the Hall of Fame represent more than 80 years of experience. Smith, a 1970 graduate of Hug High School in Reno, retired in 2006.
Since that time, she has been president of the Women's Army Veterans Corps and has donated more than 100 hours of community service in support of veterans.
- Smith, who served on active duty and in the U.S. Army Reserve, joined the Guard in 1989. She ended her career as a mobilization officer in Carson City. She said her most memorable moment in the Guard occurred when she was company commander of the 321st Signal Co., in Reno.
"We had an all-female staff except for one platoon leader," she said.
- Fruzza donates his time serving veterans by preserving military history at the Sparks museum. Fruzza served in the U.S. Army after graduating from Sparks High School in 1943. He fought at the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. The Sparks native later joined the Guard in 1949 and retired in 1985 as Officer of Personnel Management, a position he held for 15 years at state headquarters.
Fruzza said me met many "wonderful people" in the Guard.
"I remember we worked hard during annual training," he said, adding that being a member of the military was like joining a family.
- Rank still works full-time for the Guard in Carson City as a civilian transition assistance coordinator. During her 21-year career in the Guard, Rank served as a readiness noncommissioned officer (NCO), personnel NCO and recruiter. Since retiring, she also volunteers about 20 hours a month to assist veterans and their families.
- Steve Ranson is the editor of the Lahontan Valley News, a sister publication to the Nevada Appeal, and a lieutenant colonel in the Public Affairs Division of the Nevada Army National Guard.
The following soldiers retired from the Nevada Army National Guard during the previous fiscal year.
Col.: Louis Cabrera, Washington, D.C. (formerly of Dayton )
Maj.: Kenneth Curtzwiler, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.; Kerry Cutting, Las Vegas ; Bruce Hill, Los Alamos, N.M.
Capt.: Dean Martin, Las Vegas
Chief Warrant Officer: Larry Ceragioli, Carson City; Alex Talmant, Carson City; Michael Evans, Reno
Command Sgt. Major: Alan Callanan, Carson City
Sgt. Maj.: Johnny Herzberg, Sparks
First Sgt.: Dana Boucher, Minden ; Milton Burgess, Spring Creek; Lori Shaw, Cape Coral , Fla. ; Dana Sparkes, Virginia City; Harry St. Clair, Minden
Master Sgt.: Daniel Boucier, Las Vegas
Sgt. 1st Class: Vaughn Amoroso, Las Vegas; Thomas Davis, Las Vegas; Joel Fairfield, Elko; Luis Gutierrez, North Las Vegas; Michael Irvin, East Ely; Duane Myers, Las Vegas; Joseph Ola, Henderson; James Palmer, Elko; Jeana Schlaugh, Sparks; Jim Stewart, Las Vegas
Staff Sgt.: Travis Boatright, Las Vegas; Rolando Herrera, Las Vegas; Gregory Jones, Winnemucca; Richard Schenck, South Lake Tahoe; Kim Tanner, Las Vegas; Timothy Wadley, Pahrump
Sgt.: Nicholas Caddy, Henderson; Joselito Gazeman, Las Vegas ; William Halley, Reno.