Attorney Takes on National Guard Leadership Role

By Rachel Forrester

Brigadier General Fermin A. Rubio (BS 78) assumed duties as Assistant Adjutant General – Air for the New Mexico National Guard (NMANG) this past December. In this position, he serves as senior military advisor to the Adjutant General and is responsible for providing the state and the U.S. with a ready force of citizen airmen. He also directs and supervises the NMANG’s administration, discipline, organization, training and mobilization, and ensures that the organization is equipped to respond to any domestic disaster or combat contingency.

General Rubio graduated from high school in Roswell, NM with no real plans to attend college. No one in his family had gone but he was offered a scholarship and decided to at least to check it out. He didn’t realize it at the time, but walking into registration that day would completely change his perspective and future.

Photo by Captain Brian Raphael, New Mexico Air National Guard

“My time at ENMU showed me that, although it’s not easy, I could be selfdisciplined enough to go to class, do the work and graduate,” said General Rubio. “I learned that if I committed myself to a task and saw it through, opportunity and success would follow.”

Right around the time he attended Eastern, many Vietnam veterans were coming home and starting college on the GI Bill. General Rubio became friends with some of these veterans and grew to admire their service and sacrifices.

“They were, at times, wild and crazy and I thought it was cool, but it wasn’t until much later that I came to understand the effects the war had on many of them. I think that’s where my interest in the military started. I recently saw some of these friends and was finally able to thank them for the impact they had on my life.”

Brigadier General Fermin A. Rubio with his wife, Peggy, and their three daughters.

Photo by Peggy Raymond-Rubio

General Rubio earned his Doctor of Law degree and entered active duty in 1990 as a naval Judge Advocate. He separated from active duty in 1994 but remained affiliated with the Naval Reserve and was commissioned in the Air Force Reserve in 1997. He joined the NMANG in 2006, serving as the State Judge Advocate until 2015.

A licensed attorney with a 25-year dual track legal career as both a civilian attorney and military judge advocate, General Rubio managed to juggle his personal life and law career with his military service.

“I’ve always had to travel away from home to perform my military duties, but I was only able to juggle the demands of a civilian and military career because I have a great support system–my wife, Peggy, and our three daughters. I don’t think I would have succeeded otherwise. I also had great employers who supported my military obligations.”

The NMANG has an ever-changing strategic environment that can make planning very challenging. Yet, as Assistant Adjutant General, Rubio’s priorities are to execute current missions flawlessly, while seeking additional missions and cultivating great relationships with mission partners. He works with active duty members, elected officials and community leaders to educate and advertise New Mexico’s military training and testing resources, and also mentors and guides airmen and their families. From his student days to now, General Rubio has found his way to serve his country and his community.