VFW Daniel D. Fernandez Post 9676

08/18/2026

🇺🇸 ATTENTION BOSQUE FARMS & VALENCIA COUNTY VETERANS! 🇺🇸

Do you have questions about your VA benefits or need help navigating your paperwork? Support is available right in your neighborhood!
Representatives from the Albuquerque VA and the New Mexico VA Health Care System Outreach Department are available monthly to provide personalized assistance to local veterans, their dependents, and survivors.

📍 Event Details:
🗓 When: First Wednesday of Every Month
⏰ Time: 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM (Noon)
🏢 Where: Bosque Farms Community Center
📍 950 N Bosque Loop, Bosque Farms, NM 87068

💲 Cost: Free & Open to all Veterans

🤝 How They Can Help:

VA Healthcare Enrollment: Learn how to apply and access local services.

Benefits & Claims: Get guidance on disability compensation, pensions, and survivor benefits.

Documentation Support: Assistance with obtaining service records and necessary VA paperwork.

General Q&A: One-on-one time to answer your specific questions.

💡 Tip: Bring a copy of your DD-214 (Discharge Papers) and any relevant medical or service records to make the process as fast as possible.

Help us spread the word—tag a local veteran or share this post with your friends and family!

08/17/2026

Honoring U.S. Navy Veteran Daniel D. Dittman 🇺🇸⚓

On Wednesday, August 5th, 2026, at 1000, we had the distinct honor of conducting a special Pinning Ceremony for Mr. Daniel D. Dittman, an 81-year-old U.S. Navy Veteran.

About Mr. Dittman's Service:
Mr. Dittman served our nation proudly in the United States Navy from 1963 to 1966 as a Radioman. During his time in the military, he served aboard the USS Stien Edgar, with deployments that included stops in Italy, France, and Spain.

We pay special tribute to you, Mr. Dittman, for your patriotic contributions and your honorable service to our country. Thank you for protecting the universal hope of freedom and liberty for all! 🦅

08/01/2026

🇺🇸 A Special Thank You from VFW Daniel D. Fernandez Post 9676! 🇺🇸
Following our amazing 4th of July Open House, we want to express our deepest gratitude to Walmart Distribution Center 6084. We are incredibly appreciative of Walmart for generously providing all of the items for this year's event, and for their continued, unwavering support of the Los Lunas community and Daniel D. Fernandez Post 9676! We truly could not have done it without your incredible partnership.
To show our appreciation to the team who helped approve and coordinate these vital donations, Commander Chet Pino and Sr. Vice Commander Gabriel Barela had the honor of presenting special recognition awards to this outstanding group:
* 🎖️ Jay Clyde – DC General Manager
* 🎖️ Emily Rodriguez– DC Assistant General Manager
* 🎖️ Joe Lucero – Supply Chain Asset Protection Operations Manager
* 🎖️ Shannon Jaramillo– Administrative Assistant
Thank you all for your outstanding dedication to our veterans. We are so grateful for this strong community backing, and we hope to repeat this success again next year!

08/01/2026

🇺🇸 VFW Daniel D. Fernandez Post 9676 is incredibly humbled and proud to have led the Bosque Farms parade today!
​A special thank you to our outstanding Color Guard for setting the standard and leading the way with such dignity: Post Members Paul Carder , Ramon Eylicio and Sr. Vice Commander Gabriel Barela .
​Behind our Color Guard, it was an absolute joy to see our dedicated VFW Post members and their wonderful spouses together. You all represent the true strength, family, and unity of our veteran community.
​Thank you, Bosque Farms, for the incredible support and cheers along the parade route. We are honored to serve and be a part of this amazing community. 🎖️🇺🇸

​

07/12/2026

Honoring a Local Hero: Pinning Ceremony for Navy Vietnam Veteran Richard L. (Rick) Torres 🇺🇸⚓

On July 10th, 2026, VFW Daniel D. Fernandez Post 9676 had the distinct honor of conducting a Pinning Ceremony for Mr. Richard L. (Rick) Torres, a 79-year-old Navy Vietnam Veteran, at his residence in Belen, NM.

This beautiful ceremony was held in partnership with Ambercare Hospice and their dedicated program for recognizing Veterans.

About Mr. Torres' Service:
Mr. Torres served our nation proudly in the U.S. Navy from 1968 to 1972 as an Aviation Machinist’s Mate (AD), where he fixed and maintained F-4 Phantom aircraft. During his military career, he served tours aboard the aircraft carrier USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV-67) and with the Commander, U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet staff.

In Attendance:
It was a special afternoon shared with family, VFW leadership, and the Ambercare team.

VFW Post 9676: Chet Pino (Post Commander), Frank Gurule (Post Adjutant), and John Tull Jr. (Post Member).

Ambercare Hospice: Lennie Gurule (Volunteer & Veterans Tribute Coordinator), Monica Magdalena (Albuquerque Veterans Tribute Coordinator), Jaycob Blea (Chaplain and Mr. Torres' great-nephew), and Rhianna Haskew (Nurse).

Family Members: Evelyn Romero (sister), Valerie Blea (niece), and Jayce Blea (great-nephew).

To Mr. Torres: We pay special tribute to you for both your military and patriotic contributions to America, and for advancing the universal hope of freedom and liberty for all. Thank you for your dedicated service to our Country! 🦅

07/07/2026

🇺🇸 Congratulations to Our New Mexico VFW All-American Posts! 🇺🇸

The Department of New Mexico is proud to recognize the outstanding Posts that earned the prestigious VFW All-American designation for the 2025–2026 program year.

This honor reflects exceptional dedication to membership growth, community service, veteran advocacy, youth programs, and living the VFW mission every day.

🏅 2025–2026 New Mexico VFW All-American Posts:
• Post 401
• Post 614
• Post 1389
• Post 2387
• Post 3370
• Post 4384
• Post 5432
• Post 5610
• Post 5890
• Post 6917
• Post 7686
• Post 9515
• Post 9517
• Post 9676
• Post 11999
• Post 12212

Congratulations to every Commander, officer, Auxiliary member, and Comrade whose hard work made this achievement possible. Your commitment to serving veterans, their families, and your communities truly embodies the VFW motto: "No One Does More for Veterans."

Thank you for setting the standard of excellence. We look forward to another successful year of serving those who have served.

🇺🇸

07/06/2026

Our hearts are incredibly full today. 🇺🇸❤️

To everyone who joined us for our 4th of July Open House following the Los Lunas parade—thank you. Having the opportunity to serve, host, and celebrate with this great community is a privilege we will never take for granted.

An event of this scale simply does not happen without an army of selfless volunteers, generous donors, and dedicated families. We want to extend a very special and humble thank you to Gabriel Barela and Marlene Barela, this year’s 4th of July Event Director and Committee Chairman, for their tireless work and leadership. We also want to recognize the amazing Vivian Torrez, who worked directly with them to coordinate the vital donations that made this celebration a reality.

To our incredible sponsors, we cannot thank you enough for stepping up for our community:

-Walmart Supercenter: As our largest contributor this year, your immense generosity made all the difference!

-Niagara Water: Thank you for supplying over 50 cases of water, ensuring our hardworking volunteers stayed safely hydrated during both the parade and the open house.

-Benny's of Bosque Farms: Thank you for your steadfast, continuous support. You always show up for our Post and our community when we need you.

Most importantly, thank you to every single member, family, and local resident who showed up, served, shared a meal, and celebrated this momentous 250th Independence Day with us. You are the heartbeat of this community, and we could not have done this without you.

If you didn't get a chance to carry the giant flag with us in the parade or make it down to the open house this time, please mark your calendars! We will absolutely be returning to do it all again next year, and we would love to have you join us.

From the bottom of our hearts here at Post 9676, thank you again, and Happy 4th of July! 🎆🦅🤝

07/06/2026

We want to send a huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to the Valencia County News-Bulletin and their incredible editor, Clara Cano Garcia! 🗞️✨

Thank you so much for always showing up to support us and for taking the time to stop by and join in the fun with us after the parade today. Your amazing, ongoing dedication doesn't just mean the world to our Post—it makes a massive difference in our entire community.

We are so incredibly grateful for everything you do to keep our community informed, connected, and supported. We always look forward to your visits and can’t wait to share many more great moments in the future.

Thank you, Clara, and the whole News-Bulletin team, for always being in our corner! 🇺🇸🤝💙

07/05/2026