Blue Chile Chapter AOG

03/01/2026

Congratulations Blue Chiles. We were awarded the Distinguished Chapter again for 2025. Thanks for all who contributed. Now we need to build a tailgate committee for this year's Falcons visit to UNM.

10/01/2025

USAFA at USNA Watch Party!
This Saturday, Oct 3 @ 1000
Craft Republic, 4301 The Lane At 25 NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109

10/13/2024

Hello and good Sunday to everyone!

Many folks entered the 50/50 raffle for the Falcons vs. Lobos tailgate party! We collected $196 and our winner is Jennifer Martinez!

I notified Jennifer a few minutes ago via email.

Thank you to all of the folks who participated! We really enjoyed meeting everyone.

PeeWee and the rest of the Blue Chiles
(505) 515-5171

10/13/2024

We had a challenging tailgate and football game yesterday!

If you came to the tailgate you know that we had the Drum & Bugle Corps, Cheerleaders, and Falconry clubs all give us a great show. I walked around the USAFA friends that attended and they were ear-to-ear smiles. It was heartwarming to see folks connected to USAFA!

UNM gave us a great setup area right by the stadium entrance in their Howl Zone. They cared for our volunteers with free parking passes. And Vivienne was there checking on us through the entire tailgate. They did us proud as New Mexicans!

The game was fun to listen to on the radio (we were doing cleanup) for the post-event volunteers. I am sure it was also exciting to attend for those who sat in our UNM-provided special seating area. The Lobos had a fire in them though, and eventually came out on top.

The volunteers we had help transport food, set up tables, get the area prepped, stock food and drinks, and take on-site tickets were heroes. I mean it. We had parents, alumni, and family that cut table cloths, chilled drinks, brought ice, chopped onions...every little detail. These folks are 50% the reason we have a Chapter in New Mexico. Because people care about our Academy and the people who attend it.

I wanted to mention something wonderful that happened as a result of something disappointing that happened. Our grill had a failure that caused it to pretty much not function at all. Gary was cooking on one burner that literally only generated heat because of the burger fat fire going on. When the grill initially failed about 1 hour before the tailgate, I saw our group step up to solving the problem. Sean and Dave headed out to buy another propane tank in case that was the problem. Ted ran out to get another regulator in case that was the problem. And several went around to the surrounding tents and asked if we could share a grill with them. Phil, the owner of The Grill on San Mateo https://www.facebook.com/thegrillonsanmateo really helped us out by letting us use his grill.

Our rented grill never ended up working. But the people around us made it "just one of those things that happens". We ended the day with great friendship and USAFA camaraderie!

Steaks and Burgers & more--- on a mesquite grill

10/12/2024

TODAY IS THE DAY - USAFA VS. UNM TAILGATE

Today, 12 October, at 2:30 PM you can join fellow USAFA parents and alumni at our giant tailgate party! Get tickets using our CVENT ticketing site at https://cvent.me/wmrYka

Burgers, dogs, drinks, Drum & Bugle, Cheerleaders, and Falconry. What more could you ask for? Perfect weather? Yep, we got that too!

You can get UNM Football tickets at https://golobos.com/lobo-tickets/

At the top of that screen select PROMOTIONS and then use promo code FB24AFA to get seating in our reserved area!

See you there!

09/20/2024

Navy Watch Party!!

Our Navy friends are having a watch party on 5 October at 10AM at Craft Republic. Scott Kraus is setting everything up for us to join and cheer on USAFA.

Scott asked that you RSVP if joining so he can keep a count. His info is below. Join us to celebrate the Academy and its inevitable win.

Peewee and the rest of the Blue Chiles

Scott Kraus info
From: Scott Kraus

09/17/2024

Hello again everyone! If you are on the AOG mailing list then you recently got the updated announcement for the USAFA/ UNM Tailgate Party on 12 October. The plan is 2pm setup and 2:30 start for a 4:30 cleanup and 5:00pm game kickoff.

Tailgate tickets can be bought now! Use this CVENT link: https://cvent.me/wmrYka

Buy your tickets as early as you can. It helps us determine how much food to buy. We also will have the 377th Kirtland folks joining us!

Spread the word!

08/12/2024

Tailgate Planning Meeting - 21 August @ Whole Hog BBQ 6PM

Tailgate is 12 October and the game is scheduled for 5PM. Probably setup at 2PM and start cooking to feed folks by 3:00PM.

How about we get together for a brief discussion on the tailgate party. There is a rough plan that includes a 30’ x 30’ tent with table and chairs to host 150 people at one time. In 2021 we had a little under 100 AOG/Parents/ALOs get tickets. Then we hosted the cadet contingent, band, cheerleaders, and a few leadership folks. I recall there was a brief time when everyone was there where we filled up the tables.

This year I thought we would do the cooking ourselves. So you’ll hear the costs for what I think is needed to host the dogs and burgers, with a vegetarian option. Chips and cookies. Beer and I put pre-mixed margharitas.

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR
1. UNM coordination started and sent them the tent/table/chair request. Too early for spots.
2. USAFA aware but no leadership schedule yet.

WHAT TO DO
1. UNM Contract for tent/tables/chairs
2. UNM Spot
3. USAFA CEVENT - Will do this after our meeting to get skull counts going
4. USAFA Leadership/AOG coordination - Will work through Naviere and Angelica
5. Finalize food order - will do this after we have a pretty good skull count
6. Reserve grill, propane
7. Pick up food
8. Set up tailgate
9. Run tailgate
10. Cleanup & return grill

Thanks if you can make it on the 21st!

PeeWee

08/02/2024

Hello Everyone!

Last weekend I went up to USAFA for the Long Blue Line Weekend. This replaced the old, old Chapter President's meeting and then the new, old Chapter President's and Affinity Group meeting.

The new format is to invite pretty much everyone to the gathering over the weekend the new cadet class marches back from Jack's valley. Plenty of activities to partake from Friday morning until Sunday about noon.

Saturday we got a day of briefings from USAFA leadership and staff. We got a tour of the new Polaris Hotel (still under construction). The Dean hosted a social that evening. Sunday was the open forum for Q&A from the visiting Chapters, Parents, Affinity Groups and others.

USAFA briefings were pretty much as expected. Curriculum evolves in accordance with USAF great power competition goals. In short, broad set of classes focused on peer awareness and preparation. Then tie curriculum themes from freshman to senior courses. It's a well-designed curriculum.

Military education follows a similar path. Changes to the class responsibilities as they grow and learn, with a focus on working more closely with cadet-to-cadet interactions and less on broad training. Sophomore interactions become more personal with less of a focus on specific positions and job titles.

Athletics changes included better integration of student recruited athletes by doing the military education in the AM vice them missing it in the PM.

Angelica gave a great Young Alumni panel that really highlighted some challenges connecting soon-to-be grads with recent grads at bases, and then connecting everyone to AOG Chapters. Soon-to-be grads had very little practical knowledge of the AOG/AFA. On the panel there were those who thought they could only join their home state chapter. Others mentioned they had no idea if there was a Chapter where they went. They also did not know recent grads or even old grads at bases they were assigned. Chapters mentioned that they still cannot get grad info for those coming to their areas, but the tie up here continues to be the requirement to opt in to info distribution (for each individual cadet). This is definitely a "broken" part of the Long Blue Line concept.

My last observation was this; not a great attendance by Chapters, Parents, or Affinity groups. 29 attendees that I counted in total. The nearby States had reps (TX, OK, NM, AZ). Fewer the farther away. The gathering was beneficial though, and had others attended I think it would have been better.

07/17/2024

Hello everyone! We got photos from the cadets visiting New Mexico at Cannon AFB!

Explore this photo album by Cannon Air Force Base on Flickr!

07/17/2024

Photos from the Cadet BBQ we supported!