Michael Bank of Darien Center, Genesee County, commander of the New York Air National Guard, has been promoted to major general during a ceremony at Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh.
New York Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Raymond Shields, state adjutant general, presided over the ceremony.
Bank, an Afghanistan and Iraq War veteran, has been leading the 5,800-member New York Air National Guard since June.
He earned his commission to second lieutenant in the Air Force upon graduation from a Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Florida State University.
Bank began his military career as an Air Force officer and as a B-52 bomber navigator in 1988. He transferred to the New York Air National Guard in 1994 with the 107th Refueling Wing at Niagara Falls.
He qualified as a pilot in 1999. He served as commander of the 106th Rescue Wing, based at F.S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach on Long Island from 2015 to 2020.
He became an assistant adjutant general for the New York Air National Guard in 2020 and served as Air National Guard assistant to the commander of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.
Bank has 1,800 hours of flying service as a senior navigator and is a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours in the B-52H, KC-135R, C-130H and HC-130J.
He earned a bachelor of science degree in computer and information science from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, Fla. He also is a graduate of the Air Command Staff College, the Air War College and the Joint and Combined Warfighting School.
The major general has earned a Legion of Merit, two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, three Meritorious Service Medals, two Air Medals, an Air Force Commendation Medal, a Meritorious Unit Award, a Humanitarian Service Medal and two Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medals.
The New York Air National Guard has five wings, including the 109th Airlift Wing, Scotia, and the 105th Airlift Wing, Newburgh, that operate 45 aircraft, ranging from the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft to the C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifter.
Icy mission ends
Crews of the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing have wrapped up their Greenland mission.
The airmen have returned to Stratton Air National Base in Scotia in time to launch their next mission to Antarctica.
The airmen and their LC-130 troop-cargo planes flew in support of the National Science Foundation research on the Greenland ice cap. The crews transported more than 1.8 million pounds of cargo, 70,000 gallons of fuel and 1,200 passengers in 500 hours of flight during the five-month mission.
The LC-130 planes are the largest aircraft in the world equipped with skis so they can land on snow and ice.
The crews transported personnel, equipment and supplies to remote locations, including Summit Station, a research station near the apex of the Greenland ice sheet, and East Grip, a science camp that drills and retrieves ice cores from the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream.
"Each year, our air crews and support staff demonstrate exceptional skill and resilience in these demanding conditions," said Col. Rob Donaldson, commander of the 109th Airlift Wing. "The successful completion of this season underscores the dedication of our personnel in supporting the aims of the great power competition at large, and specifically, our mission in supporting U.S. interests in the Arctic."
The 109th Airlift Wing shifted its focus to its annual Operation Deep Freeze support season, supplying U.S. scientific facilities in Antarctica. The wing's support season for the Antarctic mission will continue through March.
Two LC-130s and 10 airmen departed Thursday for McMurdo Station Antarctica in support of the 37th season of Operation Deep Freeze.
Operation Deep Freeze is the logistical support the military provides to the National Science Foundation-managed U.S. Antarctic Program. The aircraft is making a five-day trip to Christchurch, New Zealand before completing the journey to Antarctica.
The 109th Airlift Wing airmen's primary mission will be resupplying and transporting personnel to science stations on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Siple Dome Field camp and the Amundson-Scott South Pole Station.
Approximately 400 airmen are expected to rotate through McMurdo Station through March. A total of five LC-130 Skibirds will support the mission from Christchurch, New Zealand and on-continent at McMurdo Station.
Aid veterans in need
A Saratoga-Wilton Elks Veterans Stand-Down will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, at the Saratoga-Wilton Elks Lodge, 1 Elks Lane, Saratoga Springs.
Services and information regarding benefits for veterans in need, homeless veterans and other veterans will be available.
For information, contact Irwin "Dom" Dominguez, Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center Community Outreach Office coordinator, at 808-352-6477.
"The event is all about helping veterans in crisis by providing new clothing, coats, boots, groceries, dental checkups, haircuts, etc.," said Ray Sestak, secretary and assistant state captain of Eastern Region of Patriot Guard Riders of New York and a Stand-Down volunteer.
Purple Heart Town
Guilderland will officially be designated as a Purple Heart Town during a ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at the Guilderland Town Hall, 5209 Western Ave.
The town board unanimously approved a Purple Heart Town resolution proposed by Town Clerk Lynne Buchanan. Guilderland will be added to the network of other towns, counties and highways that comprise the Purple Heart Trail.
With its designation, the community honors and remembers military personnel wounded or killed in combat. The Purple Heart is a combat decoration and our nation's oldest military medal. It was first awarded by Gen. George Washington in 1782 when it was known as the Badge of Military Merit.
During the ceremony, road signs will be unveiled showing its designation as a Purple Heart Town. Also, reserved parking signs for Purple Heart recipients and their family members will be unveiled. Reserved Purple Heart parking spots will be available at Guilderland Town Hall, the Guilderland Senior Center and Tawasentha Park.
Purple Heart recipients and their families are invited to the unveiling ceremony.
For more information, contact Jessica Montgomery at 518-356-1980, Ext. 1022.
News of your troops and units can be sent to Times Union, Duty Calls, Terry Brown, Box 15000, Albany, NY 12212 or [email protected].