In honor of Memorial Day, we'll be sharing stories from some of the brave soldiers who have served our country. This weekend is a time to remember those who have fought and fallen for our freedoms. We are forever grateful.
Captain Tamara Long-Archuleta was a goal-driven achiever. At 12 years old, she taught adult karate classes at her parents’ dojo. She then became a world champion in Goju Ryu Karate. At age 20, Tamara graduated summa cum laude from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and was valedictorian of her class. While participating in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at UNM, she maintained the highest GPA of anyone in the program’s history.
Tamara wanted to be the first female president of the United States. She saw a career in the Air Force as a great way to help her achieve that goal. She was accepted into flight school and upon completion, she was assigned to the 41st Helicopter Rescue Squadron, based in Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.
Tamara’s son, Donny, was 3 years old when she was deployed to Afghanistan. Donny would spend time with his father, who was also in the Air Force, or with Tamara’s parents, Richard and Cindy.
As a rescue pilot, Tamara’s missions were always critical, dangerous and often under enemy fire. The Air Force rarely schedules back-to-back rescue missions; it’s just too dangerous. On March 22, 2003, her team had just accomplished a mission and they looked forward to having the next day off. On the morning of March 23, they received notice that there were two critically injured Afghan children who needed to be evacuated from a remote hilltop to a medical facility. Tamara was due to rotate back to the States on the March 24.
Captain Tamara Long-Archuleta, along with her entire team on Komodo II, were killed when the helicopter crashed into a mountain.
Tamara’s son Donny is now 21 and works for the city of Albuquerque. Tamara’s parents describe him as a really good kid. His room has a wall that is dedicated to photos of his mom. Richard, Donny’s grandfather, acknowledges that because he was so young when Tamara died, Donny’s memories of her are very faded. The wall helps Donny stay connected.
The Longs still own and operate their karate dojo and have set up a memorial to honor Tamara and her team. Every year they host a karate tournament as a fundraiser for tuition and expenses for those who cannot afford to go to college, or to pay for kids to go to Girl Scout camp, since Tamara was a Scout herself. So far, they've raised $32,000.
Captain Tamara Long-Archuleta – we thank you.