 Federico
Rey joined MOPH in 2002, served as Junior Vice, Senior Vice, and then
Commander of Chapter 1919, the largest chapter in the Nation. He was then Department
Commander for Texas for three years, the nation’s largest Department, and also worked
as Deputy National Diversity Coordinator. Along with being Commander Region V, Patriot
Rey continues to be Department Adjutant for Texas and National ROTC Officer. One of his prime responsibilities
is over-seeing MOPH’s support to ROTC programs. . . .Patriot Rey was born in Parral
Chihuahua, Mexico, becoming a U.S. Citizen in 1954. He was raised in Albuquerque,
New Mexico where he graduated from Albuquerque High School and was attending the
University of New Mexico part-time when he was drafted. He entered the U.S. Army
in 1966, received basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas, then on to Fort Leonard,
Missouri for training as a wheel and track mechanic. Federico was shipped to Vietnam
in March 1967 and served one year as an explosive Combat Engineer with the 9th Infantry
Division 15th Combat Engineers out of Dong Tam. This involved deploying with the
Joint Mobile Riverine Task Force, with the Navy providing the lift capacity and
the Army the troops for operations against the enemy in the Mekong Delta. . . .Patriot
Federico was wounded by a mortar attack on December 1967 and evacuated to the 34th
Army Field Hospital in Vang Tau. Three days later, he returned to Dong Tam and served
in light duty while recuperating from shrapnel wounds. After his year in Vietnam,
he was assigned to Germany for 18 months and worked as a mechanic and CMMI inspector
for the 34th Artillery Group. . . .returned to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1968,
and resumed civilian life which included owning an Automotive Transmission shop
in Austin for 20 years, retiring in 2002…. One day after returning from Germany,
he met Elaine Carriaga and married her after a two year courtship. Patriot Federico
and Elaine are the proud parents of one son, Michael Sr., daughter-in-law Mandy,
one granddaughter Elyssa and one grandson Michael Jr.
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