AFPAA's 28th Annual Meeting was held October 3rd-5th, 2024, right by the
world famous River Walk in beautiful San Antonio, Texas.
The Tex-Mex food was hot and the weather even hotter, and AFPAA members
had the opportunity to both enjoy the great scenery and receive timely
briefings and updates on Friday from JBSA-Lackland’s 37th Training Wing,
Colonel Tony Wickman of the Air Force Public Affairs Agency, and Colonel
Beth Horine from SAF/PA. There was even a visit from Miss America 2024:
Air Force Lieutenant Madison Marsh. Guest speakers at the Saturday
Re-Blueing sessions included P.J. Crowley, Major General (Ret) Ed
Thomas, Major General (Ret) Alfred Flowers, and 2023’s Best of the Best,
Ken Raimondi.
Saturday evening’s banquet honored the 2024 inductees into the Air Force
Public Affairs Hall of Fame – Art Forster, Jim Hart, Glenn Miller, and
Ron Rand – and the 2024 recipient of the Mike McRaney Distinguished
Service Award: Jay DeFrank. Outstanding musical entertainment was
provided by Shavonne Conroy.
News and Notes editor Dick Cole stayed busy taking photos of all the
events. You can see Dick's photos, along with others submitted by many
of the meeting attendees, in a new window or tab by clicking on the
photo below of Dick on the job.
The next annual meeting is being planned for spring of 2026 in
Fairfield, California, home of Travis AFB and not far from the Napa
Valley wine country and the San Francisco Bay area. Stay tuned for
further details as they are developed.
