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Gen. Mike Minihan, Commander of Air Mobility Command, visits the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station June 8, 2024.

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Team Niagara bids farewell to association partner

  • Published
  • By Peter Borys
  • 914th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION, N.Y. --  Many members from the 914th and 107th Airlift Wings recently turned out to bid farewell to a group commander who many agree his reassuring demeanor and selfless teamwork was one of the key ingredients to the success of the Air Reserve Component association between the 914th Air Force Reserve and 107th Air National Guard, during his time here.

Col. (select) Kelvin McElroy or Lt. Col. "Mac" as he is more affectionately known, stood before his peers and graciously accepted many accolades and awards as both units showed an appreciation of his outstanding leadership of the 914th Maintenance Group.

Among those to give praise to McElroy was retired Col. James (Jammer) Atkinson, the 107th Maintenance Group commander from 2005-2009. During those years the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) made its decision to have both units associate.

"Lt. Col. McElroy came in and brought a new perspective to the association and broke through and found a lot of common ground to work from," said Atkinson.

The former commander also added that McElroy brought some sanity to the transition for the association.

"He used his knowledge of the reserve system and I used my knowledge of the Guard system to seamlessly integrate and go forward and maintain airplanes that both units could be proud of. He is one of the finest individuals I've ever met. He's sincere and he's certainly made the 107th and 914th a team that the Reserve, Guard and Air Force could model other units after," said Atkinson.

The present 107th Deputy Maintenance Group commander, Lt. Col. Kevin Rogers, also recalled those early days.

"From 2008-2009 the association was more like a shot gun marriage," said Rogers. "By BRAC law we had to associate and we did so and brought our shops together. We (the 107th) were undergoing a conversion, a maintenance standardization evaluation inspection and at the same time we were associating with the 914th. Those three things were very difficult to do. We were doing it because we had to and there were some underlying cultural differences. Then McElroy came in."

Rogers summed it up by adding, "He was the right person, at the right place, at the right time for the association to be a huge success. I wish him the best in all of his endeavors. He is a true Air Force maintenance officer and a southern gentleman."

Those that worked under Lt. Col. McElroy in the 914th Maintenance Group had similar praise for his leadership and management style and the positive effect it created.

"The leadership accomplishments of Col. (sel) Kelvin McElroy are worthy of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is a superb aircraft maintenance group commander," said Chief Master Sgt. Scott Goetze, 914th Maintenance Operations Flight superintendent. "His far reaching experience, skill and work ethic were essential to the superior management of the maintenance group. His synergistic leadership created an organizational template for future Air Reserve Component associations."

Reflecting on his time here at Niagara, McElroy was asked how he felt about his contribution to the overall success of the association.

"I can sum it up in three words; it was time, trust, and teamwork; given and received," said McElroy.

When asked what was his biggest challenge at Niagara McElroy responded, "I wouldn't call it a challenge, more so awareness to some was empowerment; that Lt. Col. Rogers and I were empowering them (Superintendents and Flight Chiefs) to move us forward."

McElroy was also asked if there was anything that he would have done differently if he could do it all over again.

"No, I believe life is a process, and all the things that we had to go through got us to where we are now," said McElroy.

As for memorable moments, McElroy reflected and said, "This one really set the stage for it all. It was when we decided that we needed an associated MXG vision statement, so we held a four day Lean Event which resulted in the following statement: A Seamless Organization of Invested Experts that Utilize all Resources to Provide Safe, Reliable Aircraft and Develop Future Maintenance Capabilities. The 'Seamless Organization of Invested Experts' is now our mantra."

"I truly believe that if you maintain a positive attitude about your work, the unit, and your profession - you will have great personal and professional satisfaction in what you do," added McElroy.

Col. Allan Swartzmiller, 914th Airlift Wing commander, echoed many of the sentiments of other leaders and wished him well on his next assignment.

"Col. (select) McElroy was the right commander at the right time for Niagara. It was not a surprise to me when Col. Randy Bright from the 512th Airlift Wing offered him another leadership opportunity to lead more of our Airmen. His leadership will be sorely missed here, but I'm confident that Col. McElroy will have much more to offer our nation in the future," said Swartzmiller.

McElroy's next assignment will be at Dover AFB, Delaware as the Maintenance Group commander of the 512th Airlift Wing, an associate C-5 Air Force Reserve unit. The 512th Maintenance Group is composed of approximately 700 personnel who provide maintenance, supply, fuels, and transportation in support of C-5 and C-17 missions.