EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A noncommissioned officer from El Paso was among the 50 soldiers and Marines honored by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for their role in serving along the U.S.-Mexico border during a ceremony Monday, July 27 in Washington.
Sgt. 1st Class Cristian Hidalgo, of El Paso, was among the recipients of the Mexican Border Defense Medal, which was established in August 2025.
Hidalgo is a 2009 graduate of Irvin High School, a minister at Enhance Christian Center in Northeast El Paso and is currently stationed at Fort Bliss, said his childhood friend and pastor Johnnie Heredia…