The New Mexico Chapter Leadership Team
Chapter President Scott Kraus ’73
John Scott Kraus is a member of USNA Class of 1973. Alfa number 734893. Noteworthy accomplishments while at the Academy included:
- Tossed out of the drum and bugle corps as the “phantom bugler.”
- Proud owner of a “black N.”
- Roommate was the anchor man.
- Validated 3 years of Russian; assigned as escort for various high level Soviet visitors at the height of the Cold War.
While on 20 years of active duty, Scott served as a Surface Warfare Officer aboard destroyers, aircraft carriers and logistics force vessels. He also served as a UN peacekeeper in the Mideast and a logistician for the US European Command in Germany.
Retiring in 1993, Scott now works for Aquila as a project manager; providing integrated detection systems that monitor radioactive sources in hospitals and universities; and dosimeter readers for the US Army. Scott also works with the Moscow General Physics Institute on various joint ventures. After his second retirement, he now serves on the Executive Committee of the SW Chapter of the Institute for Nuclear Materials Management.
Widowed, he has a son and daughter. Currently, Scott enjoys fly fishing, camping, skiing, and visiting family, as well as following Navy sports.
Chapter Vice-President Dr. Douglas Meints ’77
Born in Naples, Italy a decade after the end of World War Two, Doug is the third of three boys. A tight-knit career Navy family, his moves included Florida, Japan, California, Oregon and, finally, Washington state where he graduated from Yelm High School in 1973.
He is a 1977 graduate of the US Naval Academy with a B.S. degree in oceanography. Following graduation, he spent 18 months in flight training followed by a three-year tour as a Naval Flight Officer flying from the aircraft carriers USS Ranger and the USS Constellation. In 1987, he graduated Logan College of Chiropractic in St Louis, MO and has spent the last 35 years in private practice.
The father of two, Doug can attest to the joys (and challenges) of child-rearing – at least from a Dad’s perspective. He has witnessed first-hand the tragic consequences of day-to-day stress and its damaging effects on the brain, from ending relationships and careers to financial ruin and physical disability. All results that may have been avoided had the brain issues been identified and resolved early on.
From 1999 to 2006 Dr. Doug assisted in the design and beta testing of computerized brain evaluation and training tools. Additionally, he was involved in training doctors on the practical use of this technology in everyday chiropractic practice. From 2002 to 2004 he participated in a
study with two psychologists and several chiropractors who, using QEEG, showed dramatic changes in brainwave activity following the delivery of a single chiropractic adjustment. Since 2006 he has performed over one thousand brain analysis procedures using QEEG brain mapping. He is board certified in neurofeedback through BCIA.
The owner of Brain Body Science, LLC, his mission is to inspire and inform the public about building better brains, regaining personal power and creating closer communities.
Today, Dr. Doug practices at the Southwest Brain Performance Centers in Albuquerque, New Mexico where his interests have expanded to include certified medical examiner for the Department of Transportation, clinical care for those with signs and symptoms and preventative care for those who aspire to higher levels of academic, athletic and professional performance. In his spare time, Doug is a private pilot, enjoys mountain hikes and has been known to sip on a
craft beer now and then!
Updated 4/5/2022
Secretary Joe McGuire ’68
After graduating from
St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque, Joe went directly to the U.S. Naval Academy with a principal appointment. While at the Academy, he sang tenor in the Catholic Choir for all 4 years, played basketball and softball at the intramural level, and crewed for the Shields sailing team. His First Class year, he achieved the rank of Midshipman Lieutenant as Battalion Operations Officer for one set. He also served as Company Sub-Commander for one set. His class of 1968 was the first to have been offered the selection of a major, and he chose Electrical Science.
After commissioning, his first assignment was to the Weapons Department of the USS Long Beach CG(N)-9, where he served 18 months in the Western Pacific as assistant gunnery officer. He was then assigned to be ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) officer aboard the USS Schofield DEG-3, also based out of Long Beach. For his shore rotation, he had an accompanied tour with his wife Mary Lynn to the Joint US Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG-K) in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Joe resigned his naval commission in August, 1973 and joined the Federal Aviation Administration in Albuquerque. For the next 30 years, he worked in various Airway Facility technical and management positions in Albuquerque NM, Fort Worth TX, and New Orleans LA. He retired from Civil Service in 2003 with 40 years of total federal service.
With his wife Mary Lynn, a UNM graduate and retired realtor, they enjoy travel, sailing, concerts, museums, and their summer property near Terrero, NM. He remains active in his local chorus group and as a member of the St. Pius X High School Alumni Council. He was previously Treasurer of the USNAA NM Chapter and a Chapter member since 1994. He and Mary Lynn have 2 children and 2 grandchildren.
Treasurer Ken Fladager ’78
Ken received his commission in the United States Navy after graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1978 with a B.S. in Physical Sciences. Outside of academics, he was on the varsity rifle team and the Class-A sailing team. He served more than ten years as a Surface Warfare Officer, mostly overseas in the western Pacific. While in Panama, he became one of a handful of Navy personnel to be qualified as a Jungle Expert by the U.S. Army Jungle Operations Training Center. After leaving active duty in 1989, he served two more years in the Naval Reserve, leaving the service shortly after the Gulf War.
Ken went back to school at the UNM School of Law, graduating in 1992. After seven years of private practice before federal, state, city and tribal courts, he joined the District Attorney’s Office in Albuquerque, NM, where he is now a Senior Trial Attorney with more than 14 years in the juvenile crimes division. He gets all the sensitive cases, like prosecuting the offspring of a chief of police, a law school professor, a sheriff’s deputy and a district court judge. Ken is a member of the New Mexico Medical Review Commission, the National District Attorney’s Association, is on the boards of directors of the State Bar Prosecutors and Children’s Law sections, and is in his 16th year of supporting high school mock trial competitions.
Chapter Board Members
Director Casey Jones ’60
Casey, a USNA graduate, Class of ’60 was commissioned in the Navy and served on active duty twenty-nine years, retiring as a Captain. He was designated a naval aviator in 1962 and served aboard carriers in the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. He made three Vietnam deployments as a Light Attack Pilot and was the Air Wing Commander aboard USS Saratoga for Mediterranean cruise.
Casey commanded VA-153, the Blue Angels, CVW-3 and USS Shreveport LPD-12. Upon retiring from the Navy, he and his wife Janice moved to Albuquerque, where he flew for and was General Manager of the Department of Energy Aviation Contract. Subsequently he has worked in a variety of aviation jobs, the last one as a flight instructor for pilots in the Eclipse Jet that was manufactured in Albuquerque.
Casey served as the New Mexico Coordinator for the Naval Academy Information Program for twenty-seven years. He and his wife Janice have three married children, seven grand children and several great grand children.
They have a home in the East Mountain Area in the Village of Tijeras.
Director Christine Hoaglund ’97
Christine Hoaglund is from Texas, and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1991 because of a lost football bet. As a young Marine, she was a Morse Code Interceptor. She was later awarded a NAPS billet for the USNA Class of 1997.
She commissioned as an Officer of Marines in 1997 and served as an Intelligence Officer in many a clime &
place (mostly a country that ended with -stan). She left active duty in 2006, and drove cross
country to live with her husband in Albuquerque, NM. Jeff, (pictured above) is
USNA ’94 – NO, they did not meet at the Academy!
She is currently work a Project Manager for CACI, Inc. in Albuquerque and loves what she does.
Together, they travel as much as they can, SCUBA dive, hunt, work out, drink lots of wine and cherish the
lives they have.
And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they
entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more. Luke 12:48
FTP Admin Mike “Blackie” Blackledge ’63
Blackie is a member of the Last Class to march to class, to cross-commission into all four services, and to have a Plebe Year. Casey’s class was our firsties, so you see how that happened. Also the first class to be admitted under the College Board Exams, vice the old multi-day USNA Entrance Examinations, and the first class to take overload courses (later awarded a major). And the only class to be inducted under the 49-star flag. We swore in on 7 July 1959 and Hawaii became our 50th on 21 August. We had 1,205 sworn in, and 876 commissioned.
Blackie listened to the wiles of the Air Force Company Officer and signed up for the Sock Bag Blue to obtain graduate school. Stanford said not quite, so it was North Carolina State that did the honors. Then off to Kirtland AFB to see what the Air Force would do with a Math Major. Answer: a 1/2″ think booklet entitled “How To Program in FORTRAN.” The computer age was born.
Then to USAFA to teach math for 4 years, then to Southeast Asia to end the war, then to the Pentagon to War Game the next one. Finally, full circle, back to Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Kirtland. At 20 years, 2 months, walked down the street and signed on with Sandia National Labs. 21 years later, punched the last button and have been working from home ever since. Served as Chapter webmaster back before the days of WordPress.
