Edward D . Baca Edward D . Baca ( born July 23 , 1938 ) was a United States Army Lieutenant General who was the first Hispanic to serve as Chief of the National Guard Bureau . Early life . Edward Baca was born in Santa Fe , New Mexico on July 23 , 1938 , into a family with a long history in New Mexico . His father , Ernesto , was a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War . Baca ' s ancestors arrived in Mexico City with the " conquistadores " in the 16th century and participated in the Oñate expedition that resulted in the founding of the Province of New Mexico . Two of his great - grandfathers fought in the Civil War . One of six children , Baca attended St . Michael ' s High School in Santa Fe , helping to pay the tuition by working on construction crews during summers . His father died shortly after Baca ' s high school graduation . Seeking to help Baca recover and begin a career , a cousin convinced him to join the National Guard , and on November 19 , 1956 he became a member of Battery C , 726th Anti - Aircraft Artillery Battalion . OCS and active duty service . Baca graduated from Officer Candidate School in July , 1962 and became a platoon leader in the 3631st Maintenance Company . He soon applied for an overseas active duty assignment , and was deployed to Vietnam . Upon his release from active duty on February 22 , 1966 , Baca returned to New Mexico and took command of the 3631st . National Guard leader . Baca continued to advance through the ranks in a series of command and staff assignments . On January 30 , 1977 , he became the military personnel officer for the New Mexico Army National Guard . He was later assigned as Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel ( G1 ) . In 1979 Baca was promoted to Brigadier General and appointed the State Command Administrative Officer and Secretary of the General Staff . In 1983 Baca was appointed by Governor Toney Anaya to be Adjutant General of the New Mexico National Guard and promoted to Major General . His tenure was marked by a number of accomplishments , including taking part in an effort to modernize the National Guard nationwide , including the deployment of the Army ' s only Roland Air Defense battalion . He also had a role in the fielding of Chaparral and Hawk missile battalions in the Army Reserve . In addition , the New Mexico National Guard ' s Drug Demand Reduction Program was praised by the National Guard Bureau and used as a pilot program for similar programs in other states . In 1994 Baca was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed Chief of the National Guard Bureau by President Bill Clinton . In 1995 , the United States Department of Defense planned to cut the number of National Guard combat divisions by 50 % in order to allocate more funding to active duty forces . Baca strongly resisted this attempt , replying to those in the Pentagon who called for a justification of Guard combat units ' contribution to national security : " There were a lot of folks who said the same thing before World War II , ' Where ' s the threat ? ' " By 1998 , his efforts paid off when Guardsmen were needed to supplement the US complement for SFOR in Bosnia , and were available , enabling the National Guard to deploy its first combat unit overseas in nearly thirty years . Of this time , Baca was able to say of the Guard ' s capacity : " We ' ve got a reserve of untapped ability before we ' d ever feel a pinch . " In 1998 , Baca unsuccessfully attempted to have the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery changed to eliminate what he perceived as cultural biases . Baca remained Chief until his retirement on July 31 , 1998 . He currently heads a leadership training and consulting business in Albuquerque , New Mexico . Family . Baca is married to Rita Hennigan of Muenster , Texas . The couple have seven children , four of whom have served in the military , including two who were members of the New Mexico National Guard . Education . Baca holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Arts from Regents College ( now Excelsior College ) . He is a graduate of the Ordnance Officer Basic and Advanced Courses and the Command and General Staff Officer Course . Awards . Among LTG Baca ' s decorations are the following :