Lt. Col. Walter Wintsch, A Burnt Hills Resident, Takes Command of National Guard Unit.

Related Media

Lt. Col. Walter Wintsch

LATHAM, NY (10/06/2011)(readMedia)-- New York Air National Guard LtCol Walter Wintsch, a Burnt Hills resident, has taken command of the 109th Airlift Wing Maintenance Support Group, an element of the 109th Airlift Wing.

Wintsch took command of the three squadrons and 500 Airman who make up the section during an October 2 ceremony at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia.

Wintsch is a former resident of Binghamton,  and graduate of Binghamton University.

"It is truly an honor to have been selected to lead the Maintenance Group within a unit as distinguished and accomplished as the 109th Airlift Wing," Wintsch said.

Prior to his appointment as Maintenance Group Commander, Wintsch served as the Deputy Support Group Commander at the 109th Airlift Wing.

 Wintsch and his wife Kerry currently reside in Burnt Hills, New York. He has two daughters Greta, and Robin. His Aunt Gertrude Wintsch is a Binghamton resident.

The 109th Airlift Wing:

The 109th Airlift Wing is one of five flying units of the New York Air National Guard (NYANG) that provides worldwide airlift support for operations as directed by the Air Mobility Command and the Air National Guard. It has the only ski-equipped C-130 aircraft in the Air Force and is the sole provider of heavy airlift in support of military and National Science Foundation directed operations in the Arctic and Antarctica Polar Regions.

The Wing's 1,000 men and women regularly supply the United States science station at the South Pole and have also flown airlift missions into and out of Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.