Goodfellow Air Force Ball: Celebrating 62 Years Published Sept. 25, 2009 By Robert Martinez 17th Training Wing Public Affairs GOODFELLOW AFB, Texas -- Goodfellow Air Force Base celebrated the 62nd Birthday of the United States Air Force this year at the C.J. Davidson Center on Angelo State University campus, Sept. 18. More than 330 people attended this year's Air Force Ball including Col. Thomas Geary, 17th Training Wing commander and his wife Debra, Chief Master Sgt. Frederick Ricker, 17 TRW command chief, the joint service commanders and group commanders, former wing commander, Retired Air Force Col. Charlie Powell, and community leaders. The evening's events were paced by master of ceremonies Capt. Brian Williams of the 17th Contracting Squadron. Tech. Sgt. Dawn Allison a member of the 315th Training Squadron was this year's quest speaker. Sgt. Allison shared her deployment experience to Afghanistan as the noncommissioned officer for the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team. She was instrumental in the Panjshir Valley's women's affairs movement. She regularly met with the province's director of women's affairs and the two female elected provincial council members to discuss projects and opportunities for the valley's women. The event featured a solemn opening and closing tributes to the prisoners of war, missing in action and fallen soldiers. The formal portion of the ball concluded with closing remarks by Col. Geary and the guests were invited to close the evening with dancing. "Celebrating the 62nd Birthday of America's Air Force was a great event. Tonight's festivities allowed us to reflect on the history of our service and the many contributions we've made in the defense of our country. It was great to see representatives from our joint services in attendance...it really shows you that we're truly part of a joint team and how we appreciate the contributions of each other's service. The highlight of the night was the guest speaker presentation. I thought she really hit the mark with how America's Airmen are engaged in non-traditional roles all in the name of Freedom." Chief Master Sgt. Ricker commented after the event.
