Published: October 05, 2008 11:18 pm      

Local AFA chapter keeps soaring to new heights

The local G.V. Sonny Montgomery Chapter of the Air Force Association (AFA) swept a number of awards at the AFA National Convention in Washington, D.C. recently.

The awards dinner was held to recognize achievement and leadership among the 230 active Chapters across the nation. The Meridian Chapter was awarded a Community Partner Gold Award, the Jack Gross Award for Chapter size category, and the prestigious Storz Award for all Chapters. The Storz Award is given to the single chapter with the greatest annual growth as a percentage of their membership including individual members and business community partners.

The chapter won the Community Partner Gold Award and the Jack Gross Award for the third consecutive year, something no other AFA Chapter has ever done.

Chapter President and a retired pilot himself, Langford Knight said he was honored to represent the local Chapter at the National Convention Awards Ceremony adding, "The Storz Award is a result of area businesses being willing to partner with us to promote the Air Guard and the Air Force mission. It’s all about keeping our community and our elected leaders aware of the important contributions of our Guard personnel. With 1000-plus people, a $45 million payroll, and a $75 million annual impact for our community, we appreciate the involvement of many local businesses in working to ensure the long-term viability of the Air Guard."

Knight went on to say the men and women of the Air Guard play a critical role in defense of our country and are now or have recently been deployed throughout the Middle East, including Afghanistan and Iraq.

The recent additional mission announced for the 186th Wing will bring approximately seven C-12 aircraft and hundreds of aircrews to Meridian for weeks of Mission Qualification Training before they are deployed around the world in an Intelligence gathering role.

"It is my understanding that Lt. Gen. Craig McKinley, Director of the Air Guard, when announcing that the Meridian unit would be given this mission, said that community support and involvement were factors for this mission coming here," said Knight. "We certainly appreciate the support from Sens. Wicker and Cochran and Representatives Pickering and Taylor who have helped so much. We also want to thank Lamar McDonald, Tom Williams and the Meridian Military Team who do lots of work behind the scenes with our congressional delegation Washington and other state and local leaders. We are just a part of the team committed to keeping a front-line mission here with the Air Guard."

The Chapter is also engaged in promoting aerospace education in local schools. The Air Force Association has partnered with USA Today Newspaper to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in area schools. Schools receive current USA Today newspapers with lesson plans for the teachers to use current articles to stimulate interest in these sciences. Local AFA Chapters pay the total cost of this program with the schools.

If you are interested in helping by being a member, please drop us a note at Meridian AFA, P O Box 4, Meridian, MS 39301, or call (601) 632-4266.