Chaparral valedictorian chooses West Point

Dick Benoit

Thursday, July 3, 2003 | 9:23 a.m.

Chaparral High School's Valedictorian for 2003 has chosen to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Dora Quesada, daughter of Noe and Blanca Quesada of Las Vegas reported to Cadet Basic Training at the academy on Monday.

Quesada was a four-year Navy Junior ROTC cadet while at Chaparral and was offered appointments at all of the military academies upon graduation. "I chose Westpoint because I felt it offered me the best opportunities to pursue the field I am interested in, which is civil engineering," Quesada said.

Outstanding squadron

The Nevada Air Guard's 152nd Security Forces Squadron was recently notified that it was selected as the recipient of the Air Force's Outstanding Security Forces Squadron for 2002. The unit, commanded by Capt. Mark Hall, bested every other Air National Guard security squadron in the nation to win the award.

The squadron has seen airmen deployed to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Qatar, Tajikistan, Cuba, Turkey, Ecuador and MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., in support of the war on terrorism since Sept. 11, 2001.

The men and women of the 152nd were given the honor based on their mission performance, appearance, morale, discipline, well-maintained equipment and community involvement, according to Hall.

Nuptials on the way

Diana Sagas of Las Vegas writes to say her brother Army Sgt. Andrew Sagas, Durango High School class of 1996 and son of Hector Sagas of Las Vegas and Norma Plant of Michigan, is currently serving in South Korea with the 4-7 Calvary, A-Troop.

She also notes that Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class, Michael Smith, Advanced Technologies Academy, class 1998 and her newly announced fiance, is serving in the Iraq region as a nuclear machinist mate aboard the USS Nimitz. Smith is the son of Leo and Rita Smith, now of Camp Verde, Ariz., and Lisa and Ron Draper of Hemet, Calif.

The two Las Vegas servicemen are scheduled to become brothers-in-law on June 19, 2004, says the bride-to-be.

In brief