The majority of photos accompanying the following article were provided by Mary Frances Laumbach and her associates. RWM

Most people know that New Mexico officially became a territory of the United States in 1850, and a state in 1912. However, we must keep in mind that this magazine is published on the Internet and reaches people far away from here this country. Also, as our state magazine attests to every month, there are still some in our own country who do not know where to find New Mexico, who don't realize New Mexico is very much a part of the continental U.S.A.  A portion of the following article deals with U.S. citizens, residents of New Mexico, who were in a dreadful accident in Mexico, where they were treated very badly by Mexican Nationals. Roswell Web Magazine wants to be assured that all readers know the difference between the two -- New Mexico and Mexico -- when they read this article.

MARY FRANCES LAUMBACH

RWM

Photo of Capt. Mary Frances Laumbach taken at National Guard annual training in May 2002

Mary Frances Laumbach won't let anything totally derail her from achieving her goals -- not even dreadful personal experiences, crippling physical pain and heartbreak that would wreck almost anyone else. At the youthful age of 34, Frances has experienced more trauma than most people experience in their entire lives.

Among her personal attributes are her amazing inner strength and resiliency and her determination that nothing keeps her from reaching her goals. She was physically and emotionally wrecked a while, but not forever.

One of her goals had been to earn her Master's degree in guidance and counseling. Although she was briefly knocked off-track from that, she officially received her Master's degree a few weeks ago, on May 4. Now, her goal is to get her doctorate.

Another goal is to help kids. That one has no defining perimeters, no beginning and no end.  Working with youth and helping them feel good about themselves, achieve their own goals and lead productive lives is what she will always do. That is a large part of who she is. Working with youth and young adults -- especially those disadvantaged or at-risk -- is Frances' primary function. She -- who has had plenty of her own woes -- listens attentively to theirs and gives them the inner strength and tools with which to help themselves.

Mary Frances Laumbach wears two hats: military -- as captain currently assigned as S4 Logistics Officer in the U.S. Army National Guard, and civilian -- as a student counselor.

Military:

Mary Frances Laumbach graduated from Springer High School in 1986, and went to NM Highlands University on an athletic scholarship -- volleyball and basketball. She joined the Army National Guard in May 1988. She immediately went to basic training and then to Advanced Individual Training (AIT). She contracted with Highland's Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and July 1990, she received her Army officer commission, along with her bachelor degree in clinical psychology, at HU. She went on active duty, special work, for two years, assigned to Directorate of Plans and Training and recruiting for Officer Candidate School (OCS) across the state of New Mexico. She was assigned as a full-time TAC officer, training National Guardsmen at the WET (Weekend Training) Site near Bottomless Lakes east of Roswell. When the WET Site was relocated to Santa Fe, she transferred to Roswell's First Battalion, 200 Air Defense Artillery. After that transferal, she was assigned as acting Headquarters Battery Commander at the first annual training. Since then, she had been assigned as 320th Ordnance Detachment Commander, Communications Office, S1 Personnel Officer, as Headquarters Battery Commander, and then, after her accident, as Logistics officer. During the recent annual training, she was again assigned as acting Headquarters Battery Commander.

After her disabling auto accident, when everyone believed she would never walk again, she gave up her command position, but eventually returned to being active with National Guard. She was recently offered a command post in Rio Rancho, but reluctantly turned it down because she will soon move from New Mexico to southern Colorado. Although she loves Roswell, her job and deeply appreciates the support of her family, friends and colleagues through good times and very bad ones, these past two years have been difficult. "I need to be closer to my family," she said.  

Student Counselor:

Professionally, Frances has worked with youth and students -- at the juvenile correction center, in grade school, middle school, and with teenage cadets -- for 10 years. She stresses to them the Character Counts of Chaves County's six pillars of character: respect, trustworthiness, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. These positive traits are woven into everything she teaches. In addition, she works to build students' self-esteem, and teaches them basic life skills and self-reliance. She teaches life-coping skills, anger management and relaxation techniques, conflict resolution or mediation, prejudice and discrimination prevention, drug and gang prevention. To older students, she also teaches time management, financial responsibility and employability skills, how to dream positively and then all of the practical steps required to achieve those dreams. She arranged school-wide activities, many of which included guest presenters.

Nancy Lopez Students, including Miranda (second from left)

She began to work in her chosen field in 1992 when she was hired as counselor at Roswell's Nancy Lopez Elementary where she worked for seven years. "I've had many challenging cases in the past 10 years as a student counselor," she said. "I began without any experience. I grew up in the little community of Springer where I saw no abuse, neglect or gangs."

When she began at Nancy Lopez, there was no prior counseling program, no built-in format or curriculum to inherit. She designed and created an extensive and comprehensive counseling program that included monthly classroom presentations and school-wide needs assessments involving staff, parents, students and members of the community.

She said her methods have always been reality-based, and she illustrates consequences of bad behavior and choices. "Bang Bang You're Dead" is a fast-paced, difficult yet rewarding student play that she has directed for several years.

As a good Character incentive, she initiated "Catch a student doing good." The names of students, observed by teachers and staff "doing good" were put into drawings for big prizes, including bicycles -- that, in turn, required fund-raising events.

Bonfire of the Boxes

During Red Ribbon Drug Free Day, more than 400 elementary students, "armed" with red balloons, went on a Drug-Free Walk of 2.8 miles with the Roswell Police's School Resource Officer, Bert Flores. For another event, students brought cardboard boxes on which they wrote all the things they wanted to symbolically destroy -- drugs, abuse, anger, gangs -- which they burned in a bonfire. Another event culminated in job shadowing professionals. First, the children's aptitudes were inventoried, and then, based upon results, each was given a career placement for a day. Some "shadowed" Municipal Judge Hector Pineda in court and were given the opportunity to participate in court judgments. Others spent the day elsewhere, including at the Roswell Fire Department, with attorneys, a veterinarian, and Aladdin Cosmetology.

Nancy Lopez students shadowing Municipal Judge Hector Pineda

Laumbach implemented parenting classes. Parent support groups showed moms and dads ways to have better parent-child relationships and how to boost their children's self-esteem.

"Unlike an electrician who does the same thing each day, every day for a counselor is a new, different experience," she said. When she observed evidence of neglect or abuse, she made a referral to Social Services. When she did, parents often directed their anger towards her.

She was offered a counseling position at higher pay at Mesa Middle School. It was during spring break, towards the end of her first year at Mesa, that her life-shattering accident in Mexico occurred on March 24, 2000, interrupting her counseling career and National Guard advancement. Frances's daughter was killed, and she, her other child and young friend were critically injured. Following hospitalization and multiple surgeries, she went into a period of convalescent isolation, for physical and emotional healing.

Capt. Laumbach and a few of her Mesa Middle School SMART Teens; photo taken the year after her accident in Mexico.

The next fall, she returned to Roswell and her counseling job at Mesa Middle School. Because of her accident and its lingering physical effects, she gave up her National Guard command position, but she again become actively involved with National Guard.

After almost two years at Mesa, last year Laumbach received another counseling job offer, no doubt because of her strong Army National Guard role, success as a student counselor, and Master's degree in that field. This time, it was as counselor for New Mexico Youth ChalleNGe Academy, at a considerable increase in pay. Each prior job was important to her, but each new one was a professional advancement.

A detail of Youth ChalleNGe cadets at the dedication of the Joseph R. Skeen Building, the Chaves County Administration Building on February 22.

NMYCA began May 2001 at Roswell. It is a 22-week course for at-risk youth -- boys and girls between the ages of 16 and 18 who dropped out of school. There are several others in the U.S. but the one at the DeBremmond Training Center at Roswell's Industrial Air Center is the only one of its kind in New Mexico. The program, run by the National Guard (the reason for the capitalized NG in the name), is similar to military boot camp. Cadets require supervision 24/7. Cadets, who voluntarily choose this program, are taught strict military-type discipline and wear military garb. NMYCA teaches academics to prepare cadets for their GED exam, and also  self-esteem and life-skills. That's where Laumbach comes in.

Following the program, each cadet is given three choices: employment, further education or military service. Capt. Laumbach stresses the importance of active military duty or advanced education. "Without one or both of those, employment pay will likely afford you little more than your basic needs," she tells cadets.

Youth Challenge Student Council with Frances

She employs all of the programs and techniques that she used at Nancy Lopez and Mesa, including the importance of good character traits, plus many others. One of those is career collages that depict their futures, followed with their written bios. Each cadet is encouraged to positively see his future life, by -- with magazines, scissors, glue and poster-board -- making a collage depicting all of its aspects. A collage might have a picture of a nice home, a luxury car, a family and a professionally dressed person (symbolizing the cadet 10 years from now). The cadet then writes his future biography -- his chosen achievements and everything, step by step, that he must do to achieve them.

Laumbach is proud that four NMYCA cadets she worked with have graduated from Army or Navy basic training. Cadets come to Roswell for this program from all over New Mexico, and many keep in touch with her when they return home or take the next steps into their futures.

Capt. M.F. Laumbach (upper left) and New Mexico Youth ChalleNGe cadets with their long Character Counts of Chaves County chain links (seen around their necks and on the floor).

ACCIDENT IN MEXICO

Frances Laumbach had been divorced from Nick Coca, Miranda's father, of Las Vegas, since Miranda was a small child. Frances and Miguel Vasquez, along with Miranda and Marina, Miguel's daughter, lived together in Roswell.

After everyone was in the car and they were ready to pull out of the driveway for a trip, Miranda said she had to run back into the house to do something she forgot to do. She insisted, and her family waited for her to do whatever she thought she had to do. Much later, they discovered what that was. Inexplicably, Miranda took her special ring off her finger and left it in the house. (Her mother now wears it constantly.) And she changed the family's telephone answer machine recording, which had been unchanged for four years. "Hello, we can't come to the phone right now ... we're gone on a trip," she recorded that night, and that is what her voice still says to anyone calling the house. 

March 24, 2000, Frances was traveling in the country of Mexico (south of New Mexico's state border) with her two daughters, Miranda, 10, and Marina, 4, and Miranda's good friend, Justine Ledesma, 11. With them also were Miguel and his 13-year old brother. Miguel was driving.  Dental repairs for Frances at lower cost than in the U.S. was the purpose of the trip to Cuahutemoc, Mexico, where Miquel once lived.  Ultimately, the cost of the trip was beyond anyone's imagination.

They had begun their trip the evening before and traveled through the night. The passengers were sleeping; Miguel said he must have dozed off about 7:30 a.m. the next morning, causing the single-auto accident, 40 miles north of Chihuahua, Mexico. The car rolled several times.

The children were thrown from the vehicle. In spite of her own terrible injuries, Frances got out of the totaled car and walked to where the children lay crumpled on the roadside. She saw  Miranda had a bad gash in the side of her head.

Marina had punctured lungs, broken clavicle and severe head injuries. Justine had a broken clavicle. Frances had multiple broken vertebrae in her neck and back, and a shattered wrist. Only Miguel and his brother were relatively uninjured.

Two college students from El Paso, Texas, visiting in Mexico, witnessed the accident. They began driving Frances and Miranda -- in the back seat of their small car -- toward Chihuahua for medical help until they were intercepted by an ambulance that took them, in separate ambulances, the rest of the way to Chihuahua. When they were put into the ambulances was the last time France saw Miranda, and she was still breathing. Occupants of a Bronco soon also at the accident scene began transporting the rest of the accident victims, until they too were met by ambulances that took them the rest of the way to the CIMA Hospital in Chihuahua. 

There, the bones in Frances' hand were set (but badly done, requiring  reconstruction in a U.S. hospital). X-rays were taken of her back and neck clearly showing the broken vertebrae, but they were ignored and CIMA personnel carelessly moved her about. CIMA  operated on Justine (which was totally unnecessary) and inserted a pin, narrowly missing her heart and causing paralysis. (Justine remained paralyzed until the pin was removed in a U.S. hospital.) Marina was not breathing and CIMA put her on a life-support system. Frances learned Miranda died.

She desperately tried to call her family, but for hours, CIMA personnel refused to let her use a telephone. At last, she reached her 14 year old niece, Vanessa, who was the first to receive the dreadful news and relay it to Frances' parents, Leo and Helen Laumbach, in Springer. First,  they had to go to the Colfax County seat in Raton to obtain birth certificates. Leo and Helen arrived in Chihuahua the next day, as did Justine's parents.