LCDR Wes Shumaker with his wife Jane, is retiring after 15 years at LAHS. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.comAfter 15 years, LCDR Wes Shumaker has announced his retirement as Senior Naval Science Instructor for the Los Alamos High School NJROTC program.
When Shumaker first came to LAHS in 2002, LCDR Dwight Rawls had been the Senior Naval Science Instructor (SNSI) for the previous three years. LCDR Hopkins had been the first SNSI and was in charge of the unit for many years. Over the years, he has had six assistants and has worked with six different principals.
Shumaker competed in service rifle while he was in the Navy. Over time, he completed coach training levels one through three and two years ago was selected for and completed the requirements to become a National Coach Development Staff member.
“Since I have a passion for the sport, it was a follow on to precision air rifle as I met so many people in the sport of air rifle and small-bore that I began follow those paths as well. Although not a requirement, as there are many good coaches who are not competitors, I like the experience that I can relate to the people that I am coaching,” Shumaker said. “I enjoy the coaching, competing and traveling and all the great folks involved in the sport. Through it we have met members of the Olympic teams as well as those who have won medals for the Olympics.”
With Shumaker coaching, LAHS NJROTC cadets won the Navy National Precision Air Rifle Championships in 2012, 2015 and 2016, as well as the New Mexico State Air Rifle Championships in 2012, 2016 and 2017.
“It is amazing to realize that as small as Los Alamos is, we have been the national champions of the Navy three times,” he said. “It is a tribute to the dedication of the team members to pursue that level of competition.”
During Shumaker’s time at LAHS, cadets on the drill and shooting teams have traveled to such places as Phoenix, Ariz.; Layton, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; Montrose, Colo.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Lubbock, Texas; Anniston, Ala.; Port Clinton, Ohio and Kansas City, Mo.
The LAHS unit was just designated as a Distinguished Unit for the 14th year in a row. The Distinguished Unit award is based on a wide range of events including participation in drill, fitness, academic, and rifle events as well as the number of hours of community service, hosting of events and helping the school. Additionally, there are many reports to be submitted during the year, including inventories, placing and utilization of Navy-provided funding, and hosting a military ball.
“Just about everything we do contributes in one way or another to being a Distinguished Unit. Keeping the unit active and cadets involved in those activities leads to the designation,” Shumaker said.
Some of the NJROTC teams are cyclic, such as fitness, academics, orienteering, drill and the Cyber Patriot. Many of these teams gear up prior to an event, then slow down afterwards. The LAHS NJROTC drill team won the New Mexico State Championships in 2015, and the State Fitness Championships in 2015 and 2016.
Shumaker met his wife Jane in Los Alamos. He says she was the scheduler for the high school and a big help in sorting out how things worked around the school environment. They became friends and later got married. Jane retired as a middle school teacher almost two years ago.
“We are as yet looking at whether or not we will continue to stay in Los Alamos or move to the homestead in Silver City. There are many facets of both locations we enjoy,” Shumaker said. “I have family living back east and this will allow us to extend our summer travels to include visiting the Boston area where I have a grandson without having to rush back to begin the school year.”
Shumaker says he personally plans to become involved in assisting other veterans through veterans’ organizations and/or looking at how he can work with the New Mexico Veterans Department.
“We have a number of former members of our unit who have served our country and have problems they are dealing with,” he said.
A graduate of Purdue University, Shumaker enlisted in the Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School and received his commission in the Naval Reserve as an Ensign in 1982. He attended basic flight school, intermediate and advanced overwater jet navigation, and received his Naval Flight Officer wings in 1983. He was assigned to Air Antisubmarine Squadron (VS-41), the training squadron for the S3A Viking aircraft and received his qualifications in the aircraft in December of 1984.
Shumaker’s first squadron assignment was VS-21 whose “Redtails” deployed aboard the USS Enterprise in 1986 to the Indian Ocean, transited the Suez Canal, and returned following a six-month deployment. During his squadron tour, he acquired nearly 300 carrier landings and 1200 flight hours. His went on to Sea-Based Weapons and Tactics School where he conducted squadron inspections in electronic warfare and was a simulator instructor for advanced squadron training.
In 1990, he joined the USS Midway in the Gulf as Assistant Strike Operations Officer and in 1991 was assigned to the USS Ranger before being deployed again in 1992. After returning to the United States, Shumaker was a staff member to the Commander of Training Pacific. On his next sea tour on the USS Tarawa, he was the Navy air planning officer for an exercise with the Royal Thai Navy.
In his last shore duty he helped train numerous Marine and Navy aircrew, and Navy SEALs in Forward Air Control as well as coordinating air assets from Marine, Navy and Air Force Units to support live air control at 29 Palms, Calif. for the air control exercises. He also provided instruction at the Air Force Control School at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada to Air Force Controllers on the Navy-Marine Air Control structure. During this time, he completed a master’s program and received an MA in Organizational Leadership.
Shumaker’s final sea duty was in White Beach, Okinawa, Japan. He retired from the Navy in 2002 and began his job at LAHS. He has received five Navy Commendation medals, the Navy Achievement Medal, and Distinguished Marksman Pistol and Rifle.
