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Ernie Urquieta and his family. Mila Besich-Lira | Sun
Ernie Urquieta and his father Neto.
Mila Besich-Lira | Sun
Superior Sun
Major Ernie Urquieta has announced his retirement from the US Army after 26 years of service. Urquieta is proud to call Superior his hometown. He is being honored as the Grand Marshal of the 2014 Phoenix Veterans Day Parade. During this honor he had the opportunity to meet Senator McCain at an opening ceremony last week. He was nominated by his cousin Daniel Ochoa.
Urquieta joined the Army following a football injury at ASU. He first wanted to join the Marines but due to his knee injuries they would not take him but the Army did. As a young boy he looked up to his father Neto Urquieta who was a miner and also an Army veteran. Urquieta explained that his father and his grandmother were his biggest role models and encouragers throughout his career. At first he wanted to be a miner, but his dad told him he could work one year and then he should try something else, so he went to work at San Manuel and then joined the Army. While his dad wanted him to not be part of the dangers of mining, Urquieta became a Sappier in the Army which in the early days of the Army was very similar to the job of a miner because they were the troops who blasted away areas to make way for the troops and they would eventually become the engineers for the Army.
Urquieta went into the Army as an enlisted member and rose quickly through the ranks and attended officer school, he will officially retire as a Major, from the Army in December after 26 years of service. He has served in all of the major military combat missions of recent history in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has received the Purple Heart, four Bronze Stars and one with a V for Valor. Throughout his career he exemplified leadership and eventually he taught other soldiers about leadership on and off the battlefield.
One of the deepest sadnesses he has is seeing so many young American men and women die, while serving their country. He lost many comrades throughout his career and that is something one never forgets. In his interview with KTAR he said, “Memories I have of my soldiers I can’t talk about without getting sentimental and emotional. Losing soldiers that never had an opportunity to live a life.”
During his career he said he always set goals and mid-range goals to succeed. He recommends that to anyone considering a career in the service. A pivotal time in his career was when he thought about retiring. When one of his superiors asked what else he would want to do, in order to keep him from retiring, he said he wanted to go to Airborne school, before he knew it he was accepted into the program and he stayed in. He has enjoyed his career in the Army. He enjoyed the camaraderie and the brotherhood of the career. He had set a goal to stay in for 30 years but war related injuries from a shrapnel wound helped him to make the decision to retire. He couldn’t see himself leading from the back, he had always enjoyed leading from the front and working with young soldiers.
He is looking forward to being home with his wife and children, he plans on writing a book about his career and the influences of his father and family. The book will be called “A Miners Son”. He also has many plans to find ways to give back to his hometown of Superior as well as his community around his home in the West Valley.
For 26 years the Superior Sun has covered the Army career of Major Ernie Urquieta. His career in the army has been shared with readers for many years and this article is no different, except for the first time we had the opportunity to sit down with him and his family to learn about his career experiences and the honor of being selected as the 2014 Veterans Day Parade Grand Marshal. All of us at the Copper Area News Publishers are proud of your service and are thankful to have you home.
Read about Urquieta’s complete service record online here.
Mila Besich is a resident of Superior with two children. She volunteers for many local organizations. She is an experienced fundraiser and event planner for Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition. She covers some of the area town councils and schools.
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