NY Air National Guard's 105th Airlift Wing gets new commander on Sunday, March 6

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Colonel Gary R. Charlton II

STEWART AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, NEWBURGH, NEW YORK (03/01/2022) (readMedia)-- New York Air National Guard Colonel Gary R. Charlton, II will take command of the 105th Airlift Wing from Brigadier General Denise M. Donnell during a ceremony at Stewart Air National Guard Base on Sunday, March 6.

Members of the press are invited to cover the ceremony.

Charlton, a Skaneateles resident and a command pilot with more than 3,200 hours of flying time previously served as the commander of the 107th Attack Wing. The wing which is based at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, flies the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper.Donnell, who has commanded the wing since 2017,will become the commander of the 5,600-member New York Air National Guard.

WHO: Col Gary Charlton, II, the incoming commander; Brig Gen Denise Donnell, the outgoing commander, Major General Timothy LaBarge, the Commander, New York Air National Guard, who will preside over the ceremony, and the Airmen of the 105th Airlift Wing.

WHAT: A formal change of commander ceremony during which the guidon of the 105th Airlift Wing will be transferred from Donnell to Charlton by LaBarge.

Traditionally the units flag signifies the location of the commander on the battlefield. The ceremony of transferring the colors indicated to the unit's members who they would follow in combat.

WHEN: 1 p.m., Sunday, March 6, 2022

WHERE: Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, N.Y.

Media opportunities:

The press will be able to obtain still and video imagery of the change of command ceremony and the wing's Airmen in formation. Interviews with the incoming and outgoing commanders as well as Major General Timothy LaBarge, the Commander, New York Air National Guard, can be arranged.

Members of the media who wish to cover this event at this secure military facility must contact Master Sgt. Sara Pastorello no later than March 3, 1:00pm by calling 845-563-2075 or email: sara.pastorello@us.af.mil

BACKGROUND:

Colonel Gary R. Charlton II

Charlton enlisted in the New York Air National Guard in May 1990 and served as a fuels systems technician. He graduated from Columbia College in 1995 earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. He then commissioned in 2000 and attended undergraduate pilot training in 2001. Charlton completed initial F-16 qualification training in 2002 and served as an F-16C pilot flying with the 138th Fighter Squadron, Hancock Field, N.Y. He has held the positions of flight, detachment and squadron commander of the 138th Fighter Squadron; as well as 107th Operations Group commander. Prior to his current assignment, he was the vice commander of the 107th Attack Wing, Niagara Falls, N.Y.

A combat veteran, Charlton served seven combat deployments, three while enlisted, Operations Desert Shield and Storm, and Northern Watch, and four additional deployments flying F-16C combat missions in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. He is a command pilot with over 3,200 flying hours in the T-37, T-38A, T-38C, F-16C/D, MQ-1, and MQ-9 and C-17.

Charlton's awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Aerial Achievement Medal, the Meritorious Unit Award, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Air Force Overseas Ribbon, and the Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon.

Charlton holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Columbia College and is also a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College.

Brigadier General Denise Donnell

Donnell served in the United States Navy from 1993 until 2002 when she joined the New York Air National Guard. During her years in the Navy she piloted the P-3 Orion anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft. She served as an evaluator pilot, a mission commander, a quality assurance officer and eventually as operational test director for Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

Donnell joined the 105th Airlift Wing in 2002 and learned to fly the C-5 Galaxy transport which the wing operated until 2010. From 2005 to 2010 she served as the commander of the 105th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

In 2010 she assumed command of the 105th Maintenance Squadron. She led the unit through a conversion from the C-5 to C-17 aircraft and simultaneously qualified as a C-17 pilot.

In 2013 she was selected to command the 109th Maintenance Group at Stratton Air National Guard Base. The wing flies the LC-130 ski-equipped C-130 transport aircraft as well as conventional C-130s. Donnell learned to fly the C-130 while also commanding the maintenance unit.

In 2016 she was reassigned to the 105th Airlift Wing as Vice Commander to Wagner.

Donnell assumed command of the 105th Airlift Wing from Col Wagner on August 6, 2017

Donnell holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Georgetown University and is also a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College.

Her awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Aerial Achievement Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Combat Readiness Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal.

The New York Air National Guard and the 105th Airlift Wing

The 105th Airlift Wing operates the C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlift cargo plane from Stewart Air National Guard Base. The wing's Airmen regularly fly missions providing support to U.S. forces worldwide. Wing members also deploy as members of Air Expeditionary Wings into operational areas throughout the world.

As members of the New York Air National Guard, Airmen of the 105th Airlift Wing respond to state emergencies when called upon by the Governor of New York.

The New York Air National Guard, with almost 6,000 members, is the largest Air National Guard in the country.

Along with the 105th Airlift Wing the New York Air National Guard has four other flying wings: the 107th Attack Wing at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, the 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, the 109th Airlift Wing at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia, and the 106th Rescue Wing at Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach. The New York Air National Guard also includes the Eastern Air Defense Sector whose 224th Air Defense Group is responsible for conducting the air defense of the United States east of the Mississippi and the Washington D. C. area.