The community is invited to celebrate the return of Team Guardian members at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, at San Juan County Commission Chambers, 100 S. Oliver Drive in Aztec.

Team Guardian – Capt. Mark Pfetzer, Lt. Jarrod Slindee and retired officer Mike Hogue – participated in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic challenge, a 3,000-mile rowing race across the Atlantic Ocean, as a way to spread awareness of the mental health resources available for police officers, firefighters and other first responders in the Four Corners area.

The team completed the race in 51 days, 17 hours and 18 minutes and raised funds for mental wellness and suicide prevention.

Capt. Mark Pfetzer grew up in Newport, Rhode Island, where he gained an appreciation for fishing and time spent on the water. He is no stranger to extreme outdoor pursuits, having made two attempts on Mount Everest by age 16. Pfetzer followed his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps into law enforcement in 2002 in Ohio, joining the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in 2004.

Lt. Jarrod Slindee, originally from Medford, Minnesota, moved to New Mexico and joined the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in 2008. He has served in a variety of positions, including as a task force officer with U.S. Marshal’s Service and detective sergeant. He was introduced to ocean rowing by Pfetzer in 2018 when the team began planning the voyage.

Mike Hogue was born in Minnesota but grew up on the Navajo Reservation, where his parents served as missionaries. He worked as a volunteer firefighter, EMT, first aid and CPR instructor and police officer in Belen before joining the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in 1991. He retired in 2009, but maintains a desire to help the men and women of law enforcement. That desire led to his participation in Team Guardian.

For more information, visit www.guardianinitiatives.org.