Air Force Orientation
In March, Air Force Association Chairman of the Board Joseph E. Sutter helped the Gen. Bruce K. Holloway Chapter in Knoxville, Tenn., introduce its Community Partners to a nearby Air National Guard facility.
A small group of the partners, chapter members, and cadets from AFROTC Det. 800 at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville visited the ANG base at McGhee Tyson Airport, about 10 miles south of Knoxville. Chapter President James M. Mungenast wrote that for some Community Partners, it was the first time they’d been on an Air Force base.
They received a comprehensive introduction.
134th Air Refueling Wing Commander Col. Timothy T. Dearing spoke to the guests about the unit’s mission and economic impact on the area.
Col. Richard B. Howard, commander of the I. G. Brown ANG Training and Education Center, presented a briefing on his facility, where more than 4,200 ANG students receive professional military education each year.
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AFA Board Chairman Joe Sutter, third from right, joined Community Partners and other guests of the Gen. Bruce K. Holloway Chapter for an orientation to the 134th Air Refueling Wing, McGhee Tyson Arpt., Tenn. |
Col. David Evans, 119th Command and Control Squadron commander, described his unit. It provides training, standardization, and evaluation for satellite communication and information system operators and has supported the state’s civilian emergency services following several hurricanes, including Katrina in 2005.
The AFA guests took a windshield tour of the McGhee Tyson, and with Maj. Jason Brock as a guide, capped their orientation with a close-up look at a KC-135 refueler.
Drills That Thrilled
The Air Force National JROTC Western Drill Championships, co-sponsored by AFA and Air Force JROTC Headquarters, took place in San Antonio on March 13. A few days later, the Eastern version of the competition filled an arena south of Atlanta.
In San Antonio, Alamo Chapter members Edward W. Garland and William D. Croom Jr. represented the association. Garland is a current AFA national director; Croom is a director emeritus. They presented several trophies. The four-foot-tall grand prizes went to the teams from San Antonio’s John Jay High School—for top honors in both the armed and unarmed categories—and Tom C. Clark High School, in second place.
Thirty-one teams of cadets competed, traveling to the Alamodome from states as far away as California and North Dakota.
For the East Coast competition, 37 teams gathered in Macon, Ga., on March 19, where S. Sanford Schlitt, AFA’s vice chairman of the board for aerospace education, presented the trophies.
Lackey High School from Indian Head, Md., took first place in the armed division and second place in the unarmed division. East Paulding High School, from Dallas, Ga., finished first in the unarmed division. Spring Valley High School of Columbia, S.C., finished second.
The top teams were to go on to an all-services drill meet in Daytona, Fla.
How I Spent My Winter Vacation
The Carl Vinson Memorial Chapter in Warner Robins, Ga., has promoted this slogan, in one form or another, for decades: “Every Day in the USA Is Armed Forces Appreciation Day.”
Chapter member Dan Callahan originally coined the phrase in 1968 with a slightly different beginning: “Every Day in Middle Georgia… .” It appeared on the chapter’s letterhead, on signs, and even in shrubbery trimmed to form letters of the slogan’s acronym.
In February, a group of students at Warner Robins High School spent the last weekend of their winter break painting the latest iteration of the slogan, as well as some Air Force images, on the side of a building in a business area near Robins Air Force Base.
High school art teacher Polly Sheehan said that her 19 student volunteers were so enthusiastic about painting the mural that they showed up 90 minutes early to begin priming the wall. They volunteered to start even earlier the next day and to work until dark to finish.
Sheehan reported that her young artists enjoyed the reactions the mural generated: “People were honking their horns as they drove by, giving thumbs-up signs.” Some passers-by photographed the mural, and a soldier who had just returned from Qatar stopped to thank the students.
Creation of the colorful 40-foot mural dovetailed with the chapter’s kickoff in March of an effort to get the slogan adopted by other organizations. Led by President Timothy P. Callahan, chapter members mailed letters to several military-affiliated associations, asking them to use the patriotic phrase.
Box Lunch on the Budget
Members of the Donald W. Steele Sr. Memorial Chapter and the Nation’s Capital Chapter had a lot to digest at a joint meeting in Arlington, Va.
The topic was the Air Force Fiscal 2011 budget. The speaker: Maj. Gen. Alfred K. Flowers, deputy assistant secretary for budget. The occasion? A “Box Lunch Membership Meeting.”
Flowers backed his presentation with some of the budget rollout material that he had delivered at the Pentagon Feb. 1. He described the priorities of Air Force leaders and how the service’s budget supports the Quadrennial Defense Review and covered highlights of funding in the various budget categories.
According to George DeFilippi, chapter communications VP, the audience of more than 60 was particularly interested in the Air Force’s pending KC-X tanker contract. Other questions covered the Light Attack-Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) aircraft and the timetable and funding for T-38 trainer replacement.
Afterward, Kevin R. Lewis, Steele Chapter external affairs VP, commented that Flowers’ “in-depth knowledge and frank presentation provided a level of detail not normally seen in a briefing of this sort.”
Virginia State Meeting
In March, the Northern Shenandoah Valley Chapter hosted the Virginia State quarterly meeting with a full house: Representatives from all 10 of the state’s chapters attended the gathering, held at Randolph Macon Academy in Front Royal, Va.
The school’s chairman of the science department, Mitchell Hubbard, received the chapter’s Teacher of the Year honor at the meeting. Hubbard is the school’s science department chairman.
Other awards at the meeting’s banquet went to the personnel of the 167th Airlift Wing, based at Eastern West Virginia Airport, W.Va.; SSgt. Glenn F. Macher III, from the 167th, named NCO of the Year; and Xing Zhang, an RMA cadet. She received an AFA Medal and Certificate of Achievement.
Retired Gen. Gregory S. Martin was guest speaker. He is a former commander of US Air Forces in Europe and Air Force Materiel Command and is now a consultant.
While at RMA, Martin took the opportunity to get a full briefing—with an emphasis on science and math education—from the school’s president, retired Maj. Gen. Henry M. Hobgood. RMA is the oldest coeducational boarding school offering AFJROTC.
More Chapter News
The Gen. B. A. Schriever Los Angeles Area Chapter co-sponsored another sold-out “SMC Industry Days” in Long Beach, Calif., in April. Nearly 400 representatives from more than 50 aerospace companies attended the annual three-day event. It focuses on the Space and Missile Systems Center’s programs, specifically business opportunities in the military space sector. This year’s theme: “Facing a New Space Reality … Cyber, Protection, Budgets, and Architectures.” Lt. Gen. John T. Sheridan, SMC commander, was among the guest speakers.
In March, the Paul Revere Chapter co-hosted a similar conference, the 15th annual Mission Planning Users’ Conference. It took place not on its home turf of Massachusetts but in more easily accessible Las Vegas. Some 1,500 developers, users, and sustainment and acquisition personnel who work on mission planning capabilities gathered at the MGM Grand Convention Center. They took in three days of briefings, training classes, and information exchange sessions. There were more than 200 breakout sessions and nearly 50 exhibitors at this event, co-hosted by the Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass. Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, USAF deputy chief of staff for ISR, was the keynote speaker.
Southern Indiana Chapter members got a history lesson on “Hoosier Military Contributions, Yesterday and Today” from guest speaker ANG Brig. Gen. J. Steward Goodwin. The Indiana ANG chief of staff told the group that the state, although 16th largest in population, has the fourth largest National Guard. Chapter President James E. Fultz reported that Goodwin noted how this legacy of service dates to the Civil War, when Hoosiers constituted some eight percent of the Union Army. As for Indiana’s military contribution today, Goodwin said more than 16,500 Guardsmen from Indiana have deployed since 9/11.
In Connecticut, William H. Fort-hofer, president of the Flying Yankees/Gen. George C. Kenney Chapter, attended the military ball and awards ceremony for the University of Connecticut’s AFROTC Det. 115 to present an AFA Outstanding AFROTC Cadet medal, ribbon, and certificate to Kelsi Ann Horan. Forthofer also presented the UConn junior with a commemorative plaque from the chapter. Retired Gen. William J. Begert, former Pacific Air Forces commander and now a Pratt & Whitney executive, was guest speaker.
Wisconsin’s Billy Mitchell Chapter awarded Roman Ruud, 14 years old, its Civil Air Patrol Cadet of the Year honor. Chapter President Victor L. Johnson Jr. and Leadership Development VP Donald C. Adams presented the medal, ribbon, and certificate at a CAP squadron meeting in March. Ruud earned the recognition through his work as a unit leader and color guard member.
With backing from the Central Florida Chapter, the 22nd annual AFA Florida AFJROTC drill competition took place in March. Det. 158, University of South Florida in Tampa, hosted competitors from 17 high schools. The Honor Guard from MacDill AFB, Fla., served as judges. Cadets from Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Fla., took home the top three of 52 trophies awarded.
The Central Florida Chapter—headed by William A. Yucuis—can count on student cadets to consistently put them over the top in membership recruitment drives. The chapter ended 2009 by signing up 61 AFJROTC cadets from Lake Brantley High School alone—plus 27 University of Central Florida cadets and a number of other students in JROTC and Civil Air Patrol units. According to the chapter’s aerospace education VP, Richard A. Ortega, the chapter is fortunate to have 15 AFJROTC units in the area, but the chapter also works hard on building a relationship with the students, providing classroom lectures on Air Force topics and involving the cadets in chapter activities.
In a March ceremony at Hill AFB, Utah, Building 849 was dedicated as Price Hall, to honor Jack C. Price. AFA’s president from 1988 to 1990 and board chairman from 1990 to 1992, Price served in USAF for six years, then began a 35-year career at Hill in 1953. He retired as deputy director of distribution, working in the building that now bears his name. It is today headquarters for the 309th Maintenance Wing. Ute-Rocky Mountain Chapter President Brandon Strong and Treasurer Audrey L. Wolff, as well as former AFA Board Chairman Stephen P. Condon, attended the ceremony.
Richmond M. Keeney, 1930-2010
Richmond M. “Max” Keeney, AFA’s insurance and membership director from 1958 until his retirement in 1997, died April 27. He was a resident of Montgomery Village, Md., and was 79 years old.
He was responsible for field operations for much of his nearly four decades with AFA and had developed group insurance plans as well as the highly successful membership drives in the 1970s.
Mr. Keeney received special recognition at the association’s 2006 Air & Space Conference, for overseeing the Air Force 12 Outstanding Airmen awards program for more than 30 years.
Mr. Keeney was a native of Newton, Mass., and had earned a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College before serving in the Air Force from 1952 to 1956.
ADDITIONAL IMAGES
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Warner Robins High School students painting the Air Force-themed mural near Robins AFB, Ga. It features a slogan that originated with the Carl Vinson Memorial Chapter.
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The mural near Robins AFB, Ga., uses a slogan that originated with the Carl Vinson Memorial Chapter.
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Carl Vinson Memorial Chapter members and supporters hold a banner showing the slogan that they are hoping will catch on.
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William Begert (right) of the Flying Yankees/Gen. George C. Kenney Chapter presents John Michael Andrea with a saber representing a University of Connecticut AFROTC leadership award.
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William Forthofer, president of the Flying Yankees/Gen. George C. Kenney Chapter, presents Kelsi Ann Horan with an AFA Outstanding Cadet award.
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Guest speaker Gregory Martin (left) chats with Northern Shenandoah Valley Chapter President Norman Brander.
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Northern Shenandoah Valley Chapter guest speaker Gregory Martin (left) receives a picture of a Randolph-Macon Academy landmark, presented by school president retired Maj. Gen. Henry Hobgood.
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Northern Shenandoah Valley Chapter guest speaker Gregory Martin (center) meets cadets at Randolph-Macon Academy.
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At the Air Force National JROTC Western Drill Championship are (l-r): Ryan Burns, Arnold Meza, Alamo Chapter’s William J. Croom Jr. and Edward Garland, Crystal Bertadillo, and Betty Ramirez.
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CAP cadet Roman Rudd accepts congratulations, from Donald Adams of the Billy Mitchell Chapter, on being named Cadet of the Year.
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Jack Price, former AFA board chairman, speaks at the dedication of a Hill Air Force Building named in his honor. USAF photo by Bill Orndorff.
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| Unit Reunions
8th Tactical Fighter Wg/FW. Oct. 13-17 at the Academy Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO. Contact: Pete Nash (480-223-2351) (8tfwreunion@cox.net). 12th Bomb Gp (WWII); 12th Fighter Escort Wg/Strategic Fighter Wg (Korea); 12th TFW (Vietnam); 12th Fighter Tng Wg, Randolph AFB, Tex.; and all supporting units. Oct. 7-11 in Fort Worth, Tex. Contacts: E. J. Sherwood (480-396-4681) (el.sherwood.biz@cox.net) or Mary Bushnell (651-739-0051) (mhbushnell@aol.com). 38th BG, WWII B-25s in the Pacific Theater. Sept. 29-Oct. 3, at the Holiday Inn in Alexandria, VA. Contact: Jack DeTour, 98-1108 Malualua St., Aiea, HI 96701 (jackdet@hawaii.rr.com) (808-487-2842). 48th Fighter Sq/Fighter Interceptor Sq/Fighter Training Sq. Sept. 28-Oct. 2 in Dayton, OH. Contact: Joe Onesty, 455 Galleon Way, Seal Beach, CA 90740 (562-431-2901). 71st FS. June 14-21 at Langley AFB, VA. Contact: Michael Fritts (716-560-4786) (757-764-3500) (michael.fritts@langley.af.mil). 109th Military Police Co, Frankfurt, Germany. Nov. 4-7 in Tucson, AZ. Contact: Rob Fetters, 3602 W. Menadota Dr., Glendale, AZ 85308 (602-405-3182) (rogerdiditagain@yahoo.com) (www.mlrsinc.com/109thmpco). 509th BW. Sept. 27-30 in San Diego. Contact:Don Scheid, 10440 Georgetown Pl., Las Vegas, NV 89134 (702-360-4611) (djs509@cox.net). 526th FIS/Tactical Fighter Sq, Ramstein AB, Germany. Sept. 9-12 in Dayton, OH. Contact: Tom Lane (419-668-9446) (tomlane@neo.rr.com). 623rd AC&W Assn, including 624th, 851st Sq., 529th Gp, 305 Fighter Control Sq., 313th ADIV, 51st FIW, 2152nd Comm. Sq., 623rd AC Flight, and all involved in the air defense of Okinawa. Sept. 20-24 in Biloxi, MS. Contact: David Hammond (228-388-3085) (dahammond13@msn.com). AF Postal & Courier Assn. Oct. 8-11 at the Holiday Inn Operland Airport in Nashville, TN. Contacts: Jim Foshee (254-774-7303) (jimfoshee@sbcglobal.net) or Frank Vazquez (321-972-3509). Air Rescue Assn. Sept. 22-26 in Sacramento, CA. Contacts: Marilyn Nicholas, 8715 E. Boston, Wichita, KS 67207 (316-686-0430) (mnicholas8cox.net) or Ken Pribyla (703-619-1385) (kprib@verizon.net). B-52 Stratofortress Assn. Sept. 30-Oct. 3 in Shreveport, LA. Contact:Wayne Pittman, 498 Carthage Dr., Beavercreek, OH 45434 (937-426-1289) (kwavn@earthlink.net). Brady Air Base/Camp Hakata, Japan, veterans of all services, NSA, and civilians. Sept. 13-17 in Hamburg, PA. Contact: Gus Cone (253-531-1783). Buckeye Wg Assn. Aug. 13-15 in Fairborn, OH. Contact: James Valeri (937-426-6649) (jvaleri@excite.com). Pilot Tng Class 56-S. Nov. 8-10 at Chateau LeMoyne Hotel in New Orleans. Contact: Bob Watson, 1586 Independence Ave., Melbourne, FL 32940 (321-259-8389) (rwatson31@cfl.rr.com). SAC veterans. Aug. 25-29 at the Doubletree Reid Park Hotel in Tucson, AZ. Contact: Toby Romero (866-260-9302) (520-203-8809). Unit reunion notices should be sent four months ahead of the event to reunions@afa.org, or mail notices to “Unit Reunions,” Air Force Magazine, 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209-1198. Please designate the unit holding the reunion, time, location, and a contact for more information. We reserve the right to condense notices. |