Col. Jeffrey Cannet, a Mastic Beach resident takes command of the 106th Rescue Wing on Friday, Nov. 1

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Col. Jeffrey Cannet, center, poses with Brazilian officers during a deployment to Brazil in 2022. Cannet is the new commander of the Air Guard's 106th Rescue Wing.

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NEW YORK (10/30/2024) (readMedia)-- New York Air National Guard Col. Jeffrey Cannet, a Mastic Beach resident, will take command of the 106th Rescue Wing during a Friday, Nov. 1 ceremony at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach.

Cannet is replacing Col. Shawn Fitzgerald, a Cutchogue resident, who is retiring after 28 years of service in the Army and Air Force.

Members of the press are invited to cover the ceremony.

WHO: Col. Jeffrey Cannet, the incoming commander, Col. Shawn Fitzgerald, the outgoing commander, and Major General Michael Bank, the commander of the New York Air National Guard and the presiding officer for the ceremony.

WHAT: A change-of-command ceremony in which the guidon, or flag, of the 106th Rescue Wing will be transferred from Fitzgerald to Cannet by Bank, signifying the transfer of authority and responsibility for the wing's 1000 Airmen and it's search and recovery mission. Cannet currently services as the 106th Operations Group Commander.

WHEN: 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1. Press must be at the gate no later than 1:30 p.m. to be in place when the ceremony starts.

WHERE: Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, 150 Old Riverhead Road, Westhampton Beach, New York, 11978

Coverage Opportunities:

Media will be able to obtain still and video images of the ceremony and speak with the incoming and outgoing commanders.

Reporters interested in covering this event must email Capt. Cheran Campbell at cheran.campbell@u.s.af.mil by 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 31.

BACKGROUND:

Col. Jeffery Cannet

Col. Jeffery Cannet has served in the Active Air Force and the Air National Guard for 31 years as a pilot, flight engineer, and aircraft mechanic. He is an instructor and evaluator pilot with over 5,000 hours of flight time in various aircraft, primarily the HC-130 search and rescue version of the Hercules transport.

Since 2020 he has served as the commander of the 106th Operations Group, which oversees the operations of the wing's flying squadrons.

As the commander of the 106th Operations Group, Cannet led the deployment of 100 National Guard Airmen to Brazil in 2023 and 2022.

From 2018 to 2020 he commanded the 106th Rescue Wing's 102nd Rescue Squadron which operates the wing's three HC-130J Combat King II search and rescue aircraft. These planes can refuel helicopters in mid-air and also deploy pararescue jumpers and their equipment by parachute into the sea or on land.

In 2017 Cannet piloted a 106th Rescue Wing HC-130 which located a Slovenian freighter 1,700 miles out in the North Atlantic. Seven pararescuemen and Combat Rescue Officers jumped into the ocean in the dark, clambered on board the freighter Tamar and saved the lives of two badly burned sailors.

Cannet received the Slovinian Medal for Merit from the Slovinian government for that mission.

Cannet is a graduate of the Air War College and the Air Command and Staff College.

The 106th Rescue Wing

The 106th Rescue Wing is a unit of the New York Air National Guard, stationed at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, Westhampton Beach, New York.

The wing operates the HC-130J Combat King II and the HH-60W Jolly Green II search and rescue aircraft. The wing provides worldwide Personnel Recovery, Combat Search and Rescue Capability, Expeditionary Combat Support, and Civil Search and Rescue Support to Federal and State authorities.

The wing provides Personnel Recovery to the state of New York and deployed operations when tasked.