NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION, N.Y. -- 22nd Air Force, Air Force Reserve, commanders, executive officers, chiefs and 914th Force Support Squadron personnel participated in the quarterly 22nd Air Force Conference, hosted here by the 914th Airlift Wing, November 1 through 4.
The event involved approximately 80 people and was led by Major General John Stokes, newly appointed Commander of 22nd AF, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia. Participants collaborated to discuss changes to procedure, best practices, benchmarks, and the like. In addition to the routine conversation about plans and practices moving forward, the group visited significant landmarks in the local community.
On a visit to the Niagara Aerospace Museum, hosted by the Niagara Military Affairs Council (NIMAC), Wednesday evening, the group witnessed first-hand the positive relationship fostered between Niagara Falls ARS and the local community. On Thursday, conference participants took a tour of Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown, N.Y., a historic military site, where they were served an 18th Century lunch by reenactors, after which they continued with their meetings.
The group concluded their visit and returned to their home stations on Friday, November 4. Major General Stokes stayed on to speak to members of the 914th in a town hall meeting held at the base theatre.
Maj. Gen. Stokes spoke about goals and expectations. He emphasized the importance of combat readiness, fitness, customs and courtesies, and Green Dot, a recently implemented program to change the culture in order to combat sexual harassment and assault in the U.S. Air Force.
He spoke of the value of good leadership. “We should feel the burden of leadership. We should serve you. I want to be a servant leader for you,” he stated during the town hall meeting on Friday.
Overall, the conference received high accolades from the 22nd AF Commander and gave the 914th an opportunity to leave the 22nd on a high note as they prepare to make the move to the 4th Air Force command in the Spring of 2017.