Alamogordo NM
10-16-2026 6:57am

In a Military Town, Billboard Near Holloman Sparks Debate — but also Finds Advocates

ALAMOGORDO, N.M. — In a deeply conservative city and county, Alamogordo, Otero County, New Mexico, whose economy and identity are built around the military, a new billboard on U.S. Highway 70 near Holloman Air Force Base is stirring debate. The sign tells service members they have a duty to refuse illegal orders. Some residents call it an insult to the base next door. But the sign has also found advocates, who say it is a message troops and voters should hear weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm election and with early voting already begun. 

The sign is hard to miss. A gray military drone fills the left side. In bold red and blue letters, the right side reads: "Active Duty and National Guard: You have a duty to REFUSE ILLEGAL ORDERS." Below that is a toll-free number, 877-NO-2-WARS. The billboard, on a Lamar structure, is credited as paid for by Veterans For Peace.

The drone image is a pointed choice. Holloman is a major training hub for MQ-9 Reaper pilots and sensor operators, and the aircraft on the sign closely resembles a Reaper.

A national campaign with local roots

The Holloman billboard is the latest in a national campaign Veterans For Peace started in January and expanded in April, according to an Oct. 15 press release. The group says similar signs are now going up near military bases around the country. The local placement was arranged by members of New Mexico's peace community, including Veterans for Peace members in Alamogordo and the group's Albuquerque chapter.

VFP President Susan Schnall, a former Navy nurse, tied the campaign to the current conflict with Iran. "This war is wrong and large majorities in the U.S. are opposed to it," she said in a news release. She said the group wants troops "to know we support them if they choose to resist."

The hotline on the sign is run by the Center on Conscience and War, according to VFP. The group says veterans staff it to help service members sort through the legal questions around orders they believe are unlawful.

A press release from the group also points to a widely shared video in which Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and five other members of Congress, all military veterans, told troops they can refuse illegal orders. That video drew sharp criticism from President Trump and Pentagon leaders when it was released in November 2025. Veterans For Peace has publicly backed the lawmakers.

Founded in 1985, the organization says it has about 100 chapters and a mission to abolish war as an instrument of national policy.

A divided reaction in a military town

Otero County is military country. It is home to Holloman and part of White Sands Missile Range. It also holds the majority of Fort Bliss's land, mostly the vast McGregor Range, even though the Army post's main gate sits in El Paso. Many families here serve, work on post, or retired nearby, and the county votes reliably Republican.

That makes the sign a sharper provocation here than it might be elsewhere. It also makes the advocates who have spoken up stand out, since some are veterans and military family members themselves.

Critics say the message is aimed at young airmen who already follow strict rules on lawful orders. Some see it as implying that their commanders are giving illegal orders. Others worry it could sow doubt in the ranks during an active conflict.

"Those airmen out there are somebody's kids, and they know right from wrong," said an Alamogordo business owner whose husband retired from Holloman. "Putting that sign at their front door says they don't. It feels like someone from out of town lecturing us."

“Every troop already gets trained on lawful orders," said a retired Army sergeant who served at Fort Bliss. "A billboard with a hotline number isn't legal advice. It plants doubt in a 19-year-old during a war, and that's how people get hurt."

Supporters see it differently. They argue the sign only restates what every service member is taught: their oath is to the Constitution, not to any one leader. To them, a reminder near a drone base is fitting, given concerns about strikes that harm civilians.

"I took the same oath they did, and it was to the Constitution," said a local Air Force veteran who flew out of Holloman. "Nothing on that sign is anti-military. It's what we were taught. If that makes people uncomfortable, maybe that's worth asking why."

"My son is active duty," said a mother who lives near the highway. "I want him to know that if he's ever ordered to do something wrong, there are people who will stand behind him for saying no."

"We put it where the people who need the message would see it," said a member of the local peace group that arranged the billboard. "We're veterans too. We're not telling anyone to disobey. We're telling them they're not alone."

What the law says — and why it matters this fall

The principle behind the billboard is not new. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, troops must obey lawful orders, and failing to do so can bring a court-martial. But military law has long held that "following orders" is no defense for a clearly illegal act, such as deliberately targeting civilians.

The hard part is the gray area. Orders are presumed lawful, and the standard is whether a reasonable service member would know an order is illegal. A troop who refuses an order that turns out to be lawful can face serious punishment. That is why legal experts often advise service members to seek counsel before acting, which is the gap the hotline says it aims to fill.

The debate lands in the final weeks before the Nov. 3 midterms, as voters weigh the war with Iran and the use of military force. For some drivers on Highway 70, the sign is an unwelcome political statement at a base's doorstep. For others, it raises a question they want candidates to answer: who is accountable when an order crosses the line?

Contacts listed by Veterans For Peace are Scott Thompson, VFP Alamogordo (Otero4Peace@gmail.com); Tarak Kauff, VFP National Billboard Campaign (845-706-0187); Bill Tiwald, VFP Albuquerque Chapter 63 (tiwaldbill@gmail.com).

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