Col. Robert Kilgore Assumes Command of New York Air National Guard's 107th Airlift Wing on Saturday

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Col. Robert G. Kilgore

NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION , NY (01/23/2015)(readMedia)-- Col. Robert G. Kilgore, a veteran of the Iraq War and the Gulf War, assumes command of the New York Air National Guard's 107th Airlift Wing here on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 24. Members of the media are invited to attend. Kilgore will be available to speak with reporters prior to the ceremony.

WHO: New York Air National Guard Col. Robert G. Kilgore, Major General Verle Johnston, the commander of the New York Air National Guard, several local officials and the men and women of the 107th Airlift Wing.

WHAT: Change of command ceremony to mark the transition from Col. John J. Higgins, who took command of the wing in January 2013, to Col. Robert G. Kilgore, a Lancaster, NY resident.

WHEN: The ceremony will take place at 3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. Col. Kilgore will speak with media members at 2:30 p.m. Members of the press must be at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station no later than 2 p.m. for access to the event.

WHERE: Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, Niagara Falls, New York, Lockport Road Gate

MEDIA OPPORTUNITY:

Interview with Col. Robert G. Kilgore. Video and imagery of Airmen in formation and the ceremony.

BACKGROUND:

Col. Robert G. Kilgore

Col. Robert G. Kilgore, age 48, has served in the New York Air National Guard's 107th Airlift Wing since 1997. He is a command pilot with more than 4,600 flying hours, having joined the wing when it flew the KC-135R refueling aircraft. As vice commander, he has been responsible for the deployment and employment of assigned personnel and equipment ensuring asset availability to supporting state and national requirements.

Kilgore served in the Active Air Force from 1988 until 1997. Since joining the New York Air National Guard in 1997, he has served as a flight commander, operations officer, and squadron commander for the 136th Air Refueling Squadron and as the 107th Airlift Wing Maintenance Group Commander. Kilgore also was Director of Plans and Programs for the New York Air National Guard. In January 2013, Kilgore became the vice wing commander of the 107th.

He has served in combat as an operations officer, detachment commander and most recently as deputy operations group commander for Joint Base Balad in Iraq.

As commander of the 107th Airlift Wing, Kilgore will be responsible for the deployment and employment of over 600 assigned personnel and equipment ensuring assets are available to support all state and national requirements.

Kilgore has received a number of awards, including the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Southwest Asia Service Medal (for Operation Desert Storm), the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terror Expeditionary Service Medal.

Kilgore is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and holds a Masters of Arts in Managerial Economics from the University of Oklahoma. He is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College.

Kilgore was born in Philadelphia, P.A. and grew up in Clifton Park, N.Y. He currently resides in Lancaster with his wife, Michele, and two children.

The 107th Airlift Wing

The New York Air National Guard's 107th Airlift Wing is currently in the process of converting to the MQ-9 Reaper, remotely piloted aircraft. It operated the C-130H2 Hercules cargo plane until last year.

The New York Air National Guard has had a presence at Niagara Falls Air Reserve station since 1946 when it was organized as the 107th Fighter Group flying P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers like those used in World War II. The 107th Fighter Group flew a number of different and more complex aircraft until 1994 as an integral part of the defense of American air space and then as a tactical fighter wing, ready to deploy overseas.

During the Vietnam War part of the unit served in Vietnam in 1968-69. Captain Joseph L'Hullier of the 136th Tactical Fighter Squadron was killed in action. He was the first Air Guardsman to die in combat since World War II

In 1994 the 107th took on the mission of flying KC-135 refueling aircraft, a mission it conducted-- deploying Airmen to the Middle East regularly. In 2008 the unit took on the mission of tactical airlift, operating the C-130 Hercules. The men and women of the 107th have flown relief supplies to Haiti and dropped cargo by parachute to United States troops in Afghanistan.

As members of the Air National Guard, the Airmen of the 107th also respond regularly to emergencies and disasters here at home. During New York's response to Hurricane Sandy, 107th Airmen provided assistance to residents in New York City and flew vitally needed relief supplies. The 107th is now in the process of converting to the MQ-9 Reaper, a remotely piloted aircraft. The unit plans to be fully operational in the new mission by 2017.