Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 123, No. 90 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
April 13, 2014
www.rdrnews.com
Feds release all cows gathered during NV roundup
Federal land managers confirmed they released all 400 or so head of cattle rounded up on public land in southern Nevada from a rancher who has refused to recognize their authority. The Bureau of Land Management took the action Saturday afternoon after hundreds of states’ rights protesters, including militia and tea party members, showed up at corrals outside Mesquite to demand the animals’ return to rancher Cliven Bundy. The bureau issued a
brief statement saying the cattle were released “due to escalating tensions.” Some protesters were armed with handguns and rifles at the corrals and at an earlier nearby rally. Las Vegas Police Lt. Dan Zehnder said the showdown was resolved with no injuries and no violence. Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie was able to negotiate a resolution after talking with Bundy, he said. The release came only hours after Bureau of Land Management chief Neil Kor nze announced an abrupt halt to the weeklong
Running colors
roundup because of safety concerns. The fight between Bundy and the Bureau of Land Management widened into a debate about states’ rights and federal land-use policy. The bureau revoked Bundy’s grazing rights after he stopped paying grazing fees and disregarded federal court orders to remove his animals. The dispute that ultimately triggered the roundup dates to 1993, when the bureau cited concern for the federally protected tortoise in the region. Kornze ‘s announcement
came after Bundy repeatedly promised to “do whatever it takes” to protect his property and after a string of raucous confrontations between his family members and supporters and federal agents during the weeklong operation. “Based on information about conditions on the ground and in consultation with law enforcement, we have made a decision to conclude the cattle gather because of our serious concerns about the safety of employees and members of the public,” Kornze said in a statement.
Jennifer Coats Photo
The Colorful 5K Run held on Saturday morning at Jaycee Park in Artesia was an overwhelming success with more than 600 registered runners treking through multiple color explosions. At the beginning of the run, Native Air did a helicopter fly-by to recognize the active troops and veterans.
Remnants of crashed chopper removed from hospital roof
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Authorities removed the remnants Saturday of a medical helicopter that crashed while taking off from the roof of New Mexico’s only top-level trauma center. A small crowd gathered as a crane lowered the helicopter from the rooftop of University of New Mexico Hospital to the ground in Albuquerque. Hospital spokesman Billy Sparks said the hospital remained fully operational during the process. The hospital temporarily converted to using power from an internal generator, eliminating the potential for
any accidents ignited by outside power sources. A tail section was the first piece removed, followed by jet fuel, which was channeled into special hazmat barrels, Sparks said. The crane then lifted the helicopter’s body. Of ficials said they are hoping to begin construction repairs to the roof by Saturday night. The National Transportation Safety Board still has control of the site as the agency continues its investigation, Sparks said. All medical helicopters have been instructed to land at Albuquerque’s Presbyterian Hospital.
AP Photo
The Bundy family and their supporters fly the American flag as their cattle were released by the Bureau of Land Management back onto public land outside of Bunkerville, Nev., Saturday.
Pro-Albuquerque police rally held after DOJ report
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Hundreds rallied Saturday in support of the Albuquerque Police Department just days after the U.S. Justice Department blasted the agency for excessive force. Nearly 300 people gathered for a “Support APD” demonstration at the city’s Civic Plaza and marched toward police headquarters, police spokesman Simon Drobik said. Five anti-police protesters showed up, but the entire gathering was relatively peaceful with no arrests, Drobik said. The rally was organized following a violent protest last month in response to a police shooting that left a mentally ill homeless man dead. Many participants wore blue T-shirts that listed the names of officers killed in
the line of duty, KOB-TV reported. They walked with signs that conveyed messages including “Thank You For Protecting Our City.” Other signs called for end to condemnation of law enforcement. Families of officers, veterans and the president of the local police union were among the speakers. Debbie King, the widow of Officer Michael King, who was killed in 2005, said that officers help keep the city safe. “I know I’m all for changes if they’re improvements. I also want APD to know they’re doing an awesome job no matter what anybody says,” King said. A harsh Justice Department report released Thursday faulted Albuquerque police for a pattern See RALLY, Page A2
Marching for babies
Neither the pilot nor the two crew members on board during Wednesday’s crash were seriously hurt.
Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB inspected the wreckage and interviewed people who were on the ground at the time of the crash.
Some witnesses had reported a gust of wind before the chopper went down. But Brad Deutser, a spokesman for PHI Air Medical, the company that owns the aircraft, said it’s too soon to say what might have contributed to the crash.
Mark Wilson Photo
Nicole Spear and son, Brantley, participate in the March for Babies benefiting March of Dimes New Mexico at Cielo Grande Park, Saturday.
Bataan Death March survivor Aldrich remembered ease, and brutality of Japanese prison camps.
RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Aldrich
SUNDAY
An American hero quietly slipped from our midst on April 1. Jack Aldrich, 93, of Roswell, was a survivor of the Bataan Death March — one of the most infamous events in the Pacific
HIGH 82 LOW 50
TODAY ‘S FORECAST
Theater of World War II.
Aldrich served in the New Mexico National Guard, 200th Coast Artillery AA, with which he was deployed to the Philippines. There he fought in the Battle of Bataan, endured the infamous Death March, and suffered the filth, starvation, dis-
• LYLE D. BERT • BRYAN (CHIP) CHIPPEAUX • MILDRED LUCILLE REEVES
His wife, Dorothy Cave Aldrich, wrote one of the definitive books on Bataan, and she met her husband-to-be while interviewing him for her book, “Beyond Courage: One Regiment Against Japan,” which chronicles the Bataan experiences of the New Mexico National Guard’s 200th Coast Artillery Regiment. “I knew him for all of my life, and he was a very solid person, considering
• JANE DENIO • BEULAH M. MCKNIGHT
TODAY ‘S OBITUARIES PAGE B7
all he had gone through,” said Dr. Steven Cobb. “He maintained a high quality sense of humor, and was an all-around good patriot and family man.”
According to Aldrich, this was the largest group of soldiers in U.S. history to be surrendered. It was to be many decades before survivors could speak of it.
The Japanese captured 70,000 American and Filipino soldiers in April 1942, and approximately 1,800 of those were volunteers from the 200th and
CLASSIFIEDS ..........D1
COMICS .................C4
ENTERTAINMENT .....A7
515th Coastal Guard Artillery Units of the New Mexico National Guard who had fought on Corregidor. More than half of New Mexico’s National Guardsmen died on the Bataan march or in subsequent POW camps.
“They were the last to lay down arms, and did so only when ordered by the high command. Then followed the Death March, starvation, and brutality of Japanese POW camps and See ALDRICH, Page A3
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .........A7 LOTTERIES .............A2 OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8 WORLD ..................A7