Meet the Army veteran chosen to be grand marshal of the Electric Light Parade
LAS CRUCES - Retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Munoz is the grand marshal for this year's Fourth of July Electric Light Parade.
“Patriotic Spirit and American Dreams” is the theme of the 2022 parade, which will take place Sunday night along parts of Solano Drive and Hadley Ave.
Munoz was born in Albuquerque but grew up in Hatch, where he graduated from Hatch Valley High in the top three of his class, a city news release stated.
According to the release, Munoz joined the Army and served with the 82nd Airborne and 1st Ranger Battalion on five tours of combat, two in Iraq and three in Afghanistan. He also earned more than 20 U.S. Army awards and commendations during this time.
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Munoz said he was happy when he received the email from Las Cruces Parks and Recreation Department informing him he would be this year's grand marshal.
"I was really excited. I'm honored to represent Las Cruces," he said.
Munoz joined the army in 2000 and served for 15 years until he medically retired due to a parachuting accident that left him with a torn ACL and a ruptured meniscus. He has since fully recovered. Still, he left the Army earlier than he wished.
"I was disappointed because would have liked to stay as long as I could," Munoz said.
After his retirement, Munoz went back to school in 2015 and received a bachelor's degree in psychology from American Military University. He said he decided to go into psychology because wanted to be able to counsel and help other veterans.
After briefly working in a mental health institute, Muñoz joined the Veteran’s Fire Corp Crew with the Conservation Corps New Mexico and later became a wildland firefighter and served three seasons, including one season with the Silver City Hotshots. He said being a firefighter reminded him of the military, as the structure was similar.
"I liked the adrenaline of going up to the fire, it was kind of a stepping stone for me," he said.
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Munoz is thinking of getting his master's in psychology so he can further help veterans and their transition from the military to being civilians. He considered continuing as a firefighter but said furthering his education feels like the right path.
His future goals are to raise his children, his youngest being 5 years old and just about to start primary school.
The Electric Light Parade begins at 9 p.m. Sunday, July 3 at Apodaca Park, 801 E. Madrid Ave., and travels south on Solano and then east on Hadley before ending at the Maag Softball Complex.
Munoz will be on the first float, leading the parade.
Annya Loya is a general assignment reporter and can be reached at aloyaorduno@lcsun-news.com or @annyaloya on Twitter.