AFCOMAP award banquet honors military legends

The banquet was an historic gathering of leaders, past, present and future who all came together to recognize young military leaders in the field who are positively impacting their communities. The award banquet honored the lives and legacies of those who had paved the way for many of the military leaders of today. Outstanding achievers from AFCOMAP's local chapters were recognized, and AFCOMAP gave out scholarships to deserving ROTC cadets.

The Bessie Coleman Chapter, the AFCOMAP chapter for the National Capital Region which represents military installations in and around the District of Columbia area – the Pentagon, Bolling AFB and Andrews AFB, hosted this year's banquet.

Distinguished guests were retired Gen. Bernard P. Randolph, retired Gen. Lester L. Lyles, retired Gen. Lloyd “Fig“ Newton, retired Lt. Gen. Daniel “Chappie“ James III, retired Lt. Gen. John D. Hopper, the honorable John G. Vonglis, assistant secretary of the Air Force, financial management and comptroller, the honorable Ruby Demeseme, former assistant secretary of the Air Force, and the honorable Claude M. Bolton, assistant secretary of the Army Logistics.

Award recipients ranged from Col. Michelle Gardner-Ince and Maj. Cicely Levingston to Cadet Major Ashley Bower and Cadet Captains Daniel Sheets and Justin Wolthuizen.

One of the banquet’s honorees was retired Lt. Col. Theresa Claibourne. She was the Air Force's first black female pilot. Claibourne said she'll never forget that “feel-good moment“ when she got her wings. She recalled that her mentor often urged her to “look beyond the cockpit“ to plan her military career. Not surprisingly, she advises young military officers to broaden their horizons and work tirelessly to achieve their career goals.

The Bessie Coleman chapter president Maj. Gen. Larry O. Spencer, who is the director of Budget Operations and Personnel Office of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for financial management and comptroller, was very pleased about the AFCOMAP expansive agenda and the caliber of the banquet attendees. He said excitedly that people readily responded to AFCOMAP's purpose to prompt young officers starting military careers “to recognize that they are no longer just an individual, but part of a team.“

General Randolph, a former commander of Air Force Systems Command was the guest speaker at the banquet. He spoke aptly on the theme ‘‘Celebrating Legacy, Legends and Leadership.” He has been with AFCOMAP since its beginning, and said that AFCOMAP is “not just some bureaucracy.“ In 1988, when he was still an active officer in the Air Force, he was the group's senior executive advisor. As he looked around and noted the group's flourishment, he identified that the key to this growth is “feedback.“ He observed that AFCOMAP's ability to facilitate a back and forth conversation between young officers and its senior leadership, causes it “to grow and lets everyone know that it’s working.“

AFCOMAP was founded by retired Col. Paul G. Patton (when he retired he was assigned to the Air Force's Defense Information Systems Agency). Initially, the AFCOMAP organization was started to assist minority officers with their transition to living in the Air Force environment, but later it expanded its mentoring activities to promote professional and leadership for all Air Force officers, regardless of race. To date, there are 26 AFCOMAP chapters on Air Force bases in the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia.

In the late 1980s, then still-active Colonel Patton became AFCOMAP's first president. At the Sept. 21 award banquet, it was evident that he was proud of what AFCOMAP had done already, and eagerly awaits what it will accomplish in its future endeavors.

And while Colonel Patton remains enthusiastic about AFCOMAP's broadened vision to mentor all Air Force officers and promote the image of the Air Force career service to community youths, he also strives to help its senior leaders preserve its founding core function to help young minority cadets navigate through the storm clouds in the deep blue Air Force sky.

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