AFA National Report [email protected] by Frances Mckenney, Assistant Managing Editor
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AFA National Report [email protected] By Frances McKenney, Assistant Managing Editor Enlisted Appreciation in Oklahoma Sponsored in part by the Enid Chap- ter in Oklahoma, Enlisted Appreciation Night at Vance Air Force Base offered dinner, games, and some highly coveted door prizes. A, Moser Photo by Gregg The Enid Chapter—led by Scott Northcutt—donated $1,000 for the pizza party’s two top cash awards. Chapter Secretary Mary Feightner contacted local businesses to solicit door-prize donations. She and other volunteers rounded up nearly $19,000 worth of cash and goods from 170 donors, more than half of them chapter Community Partners. George Pankonin, chapter leadership development VP and co-chairman of the event, said cash donations paid for the party’s food, as well as prizes. And what a list of door prizes: two freezers packed with food, flat screen TVs, iPods, digital cameras, Blu-ray DVD players, a home theater system, a laptop AFA Board Chairman Joe Sutter addresses AFA’s Midwest Region Conference, computer, and camping equipment. hosted by the Whiteman Chapter at Whiteman AFB, Mo., in June. “The businesses in Enid really like to support the enlisted men and women More photos at http://www.airforce-magazine.com, in “AFA National Report” at Vance,” said Pankonin. Enlisted Appreciation Night took Pitsenbarger Award recipients on its was the chapter’s black-tie celebration place at the Vance Collocated Club. front page. for ACC personnel and Team Langley. Col. Mark C. Nowland, the 71st Flying SSgt. Millie Gargurevich of the 90th Nearly 450 guests attended the gala, Training Wing commander, and CMSgt. Forces Support Squadron and SSgt. described by Chapter Vice President Mitchell K. Balutski, the wing’s command Christopher Melton, 90th Logistics Stanley S. Stevens as “a most suc- chief master sergeant, were among Readiness Squadron, were pictured cessful event.” those taking part in this event. receiving the awards from Tims and Stevens had organized the evening, guest speaker Brig. Gen. Everett H. directing a group of more than 40 chapter The Leadership of Irene Johnigan Thomas. He is commander of the Air members and Community Partners, as In May, F. E. Warren AFB, Wyo., Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Kirtland well as ACC and Langley representa- celebrated Armed Forces Day, and to Air Force Base, N.M. tives. The gala culminated two days of hear the wing commander tell it, “This AFA’s Pitsenbarger Awards provide events associated with the Combat Air occasion would not have been possible $400 to top active duty, Guard, or Re- Forces Airpower Symposium. or a success without the leadership of serve USAF enlisted personnel who The symposium opened with Fraser Irene Johnigan, the AFA [Cheyenne] plan to go on for a bachelor’s degree delivering a welcome on the morning of Cowboy Chapter president.” after graduating from the Community May 19. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Nor- Col. Gregory S. Tims, 90th Missile College of the Air Force. ton A. Schwartz was the symposium’s Wing commander, didn’t stop there. keynote speaker, on video, addressing “Irene has unlimited energy and the Tweet From the ACC Boss some 250 attendees. heart of an angel,” he wrote in an F. E. “Just returned from a great evening Gen. Gary L. North, Pacific Air Forces Warren Web page commentary. “We at the AFA 18th annual Salute to ACC,” commander; Gen. Roger A. Brady, US are so lucky to have her on our team.” typed Gen. William M. Fraser III. Air Forces in Europe commander; and He singled out Johnigan, in particular, It was 7:55 p.m. on May 20, and the Maj. Gen. Jay H. Lindell, Global Power because of the chapter’s sponsorship commander of Air Combat Command Programs director in the Air Force ac- of the banquet that kicked off the 60th wanted readers on the microblogging quisition office, moderated panels for annual celebration. service Twitter to know his thoughts this sixth annual symposium. The Cheyenne Cowboy Chapter on the gala hosted by the Langley (“Tough issues; great discussion gained even more publicity when the Chapter (Va.). with industry,” Fraser tweeted in one base newspaper, The Sentinel, featured Held at the Hampton (Va.) Conven- of his short messages sent during the that banquet, putting a photo of AFA tion Center, the reception and dinner symposium’s lunch break.) AIR FORCE Magazine / August 2010 75 AFA National Report Chapter members Bob Allison, Vince Wisniewski, and Scott Frazier organized a golf outing as part of the symposium’s roster of activities. Mentors at Palm Springs Along with the Palm Springs Air Mu- seum in California, the Palm Springs USAF photo by SSgt. Mike Tryon Chapter co-hosted the “Gathering of Mentors”—a fly-in of aptly named T-34 training aircraft—in May. Beech Aircraft-built T-34 Mentors were used for Air Force primary flight training in the 1950s. The May 7-9 Palm Springs flight exhibi- tions, formation flights, and contests with the Mentors and other training aircraft took place at the museum, located at the city’s airport. Chapter Community Partners were among those receiving incentive rides on the T-34s during the weekend. Chapter President John L. Hill said he and chapter board member Gene Ramirez took the lead in organizing the Brig. Gen. Everett Thomas (l), Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center commander, and Col. behind-the-scenes tasks that make for a Gregory Tims (r), 90th Missile Wing commander, present SSgt. Millie Gargurevich and successful fly-in: They found motels for SSgt. Christopher Melton with awards sponsored by the Cheyenne Cowboy Chapter. the pilots and, with chapter funds, booked a hospitality room and paid for the pilots’ Representatives on March 25. “I rise at Hurlburt Field to honor Palmer and the incidental expenses. today to honor Sandy Palmer upon runners-up: Jeff Baugus from Woodlawn Derived from the Beech Bonanza, receiving the Hurlburt Air Force Asso- Beach Middle School in Gulf Breeze and Mentor tandem-seat trainers were also ciation Chapter 398’s Overall Teacher Amy Davis from Kenwood Elementary used by other services. “This year,” wrote of the Year Award for 2010.” School in Fort Walton Beach. Hill in an e-mail, “we even had an Army Miller went on to describe how Palmer, The teachers all received member- T-34 come in from Wisconsin.” a third-grade teacher at Shalimar (Fla.) ship in AFA, a cash award, a chapter Elementary School, incorporates space commemorative coin, a plaque, and a The Book on LeMay and aviation topics into her classroom. certificate presented by Helen Rigdon, The Air Force Chief of Staff recom- Thus the Hurlburt Chapter’s Teacher from Miller’s office, attesting that their mends it, so why not encourage Iron of the Year, as well as her two fellow selection as top teachers had been read Gate Chapter members to read it? finalists, became part of the record—the into the Congressional Record. In New York City, author Warren Congressional Record. In addition, the principals from each Kozak was invited to address a chapter In April, some 40 chapter members school received a US flag that had been luncheon meeting in April, to speak and guests gathered for dinner at the club flown over the US Capitol. about his book, LeMay: The Life and Wars of General Curtis LeMay. Published last year, the book about USAF’s fifth Chief of Staff—and former Strategic Air Command commander—is still gaining fans: The book was added, this April, to the Air Force Chief of Staff’s Gilder Photo by Eric Van 2010 Reading List. Kozak had knowledgeable listeners among the Iron Gate Chapter crowd: Ed Whitman told chapter members that he still remembered LeMay’s speech on leadership, delivered to Whitman’s grad- uating class at the Air Force Academy 50 years ago. Another chapter member, J. Stanley Holtoner, worked for LeMay as chief of the Aircraft Branch in the R&D directorate at the Pentagon. Such an audience made for a lively question and answer period following Kozak’s talk, said Chapter President Frank Hayes. On Record “Madam Speaker,” began US Rep. The Palm Springs Chapter helped organize a T-34 fly-in in California. Chapter member Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) in the House of Gene Ramirez is at far left; Chapter President John Hill is front row, third from right. 76 AIR FORCE Magazine / August 2010 More Chapter News quarterly meeting. “It’s a first,” noted Kirk Cox, a state legislator, praised In North Carolina, the Tarheel Chapter Secretary Joyce Feuerstein. the innovative teaching approaches to Chapter selected Bob Penny of Sander- Cadet Zachary Jarvis, who also heads science and math taken by Jones and son High School in Raleigh as its 2010 the AFA-affiliated Arnold Air Society by the chapter’s AFA Educator Grant Teacher of the Year. A retired Air Force group at the school, organized the event, recipients recognized that evening: colonel and now a senior aerospace held at the university’s coliseum. Lt. Col. Nancy Hoover of Lloyd C. Bird High science instructor, Penny caught the Christopher P. Froeschner, the Det. 595 School in Chesterfield, Allison Couillard group’s attention when his AFJROTC commander, was guest speaker for a of J. B. Watkins Elementary School in cadets earned scholarships worth more presentation about current AFROTC Midlothian, and Timothy Couillard of than $1.3 million. That includes student training. James River High School in Midlothian. Jaron Moore, who reeled in several The Leigh Wade Chapter in Pe- In Valdosta, Ga., the South Geor- scholarships totaling some $456,000, tersburg, Va., announced its Teacher of gia Chapter selected as its Teacher of including one to Stanford worth more the Year 2010 at a banquet and ceremo- the Year Mimi Wetherington, a third- than $177,000.