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Leaders – Commanders
Beginning with Captain Raynal C. Bolling the 1st Aero Company, the 102nd Rescue Squadron and the subsequent organizations such as the 349th and the 106th Rescue Wing, have been led by capable leaders. This page initially will focus on the most recent commanders of the 106th Rescue Wing and the 102nd Rescue Squadron, but will also highlight other leaders such as the New York Adjutant General and the Assistant Adjutant General for Air. In several cases, the 106th Commander has been promoted to a state level position. As with all of the members of the Wing, we thank them all for their dedicated service to the Great State of New York and a grateful nation. |
Adjutant General of the State of New York and Assistant Adjutant General for Air
The State of New York has one of the largest organized militias of any state or commonwealth. The Adjutant General is appointed by the Governor in New York, and has control of all military forces including the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, and the Naval Militia. |
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This link connects to General O'Ryan's biography. He served as the Adjutant General of New York when the 1st Aero Company was started in 1906.
In 1914 he had graduated from the Army War College. In 1916 when the Regular Army and the National Guard mobilized on the Mexican border, the New York National Guard of about 18,000 men went to the lower Rio Grande region under the command of O'Ryan, and during this period he took the opportunity to train his men under the same conditions which were at that time prevailing in the war in Europe.
In 1917 when the National Guard unit returned to New York his unit was reorganized into the regular army as the 27th Division under his command and on 5 August 1917 he was appointed Major General in the regular Army. This division arrived in France on 10 May 1918 and first went into action on July 9 of the same year in the Dickebausch sector in Belgium, extending from Boormeziele to a point northwest of Mont Kemmel.
Subsequently the 27th Division can be found in Bullard's biography but the full details can be best located in O'Ryan's own book The Story of the 27th Division, which Bullard describes as not only a history of the Division with the fullest possible details of the exploits of the men in it, but also a scholarly treatise on training, psychology of military operations and all its attendant ramifications of military strategy and tactics. The exploits of the 27th Division in France should be read in detail by students of military strategy to be fully appreciated. |
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This link connects to General Fenimore. The general began his military career in June 1963, when he was commissioned a second lieutenant, upon completion of the Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Union College. In November 1965, while he was assigned as a C-130 co-pilot with the 774th Troop Carrier Squadron, Langley AFB, Virginia, the unit deployed to Southeast Asia and during his one-year tour, he flew 411 combat missions. He was released from active duty in August 1968.
He reentered the military with the Air National Guard in January 1969 and served in a variety of positions. In 1971 he joined the New York Air National Guard. In May 1990 the general was assigned to the position of Assistant Adjutant General for Air, and assumed his present position of Adjutant General, State of New York, July 1995. |
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Brittain served as the assistant adjutant general for the New York Air National Guard. General Brittain functioned as the Director of Operations and Logistics for the State of New York and is responsible for five flying wings and five Geographically Separated Units. He monitors SORTS, Inspections, Plans, Air Space issues, and other Operations and Logistics issues. The general was promoted to his current rank just three days before September 11, 2001.
The general enlisted in the Arkansas Air National Guard in September of 1969 and served as a still photo helper until being commissioned in June of 1970. Following his commissioning and completing undergraduate pilot training, General Brittain held numerous positions prior to being assigned as the deputy commander for operations at the 189th Tactical Airlift Group at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. General Brittain next accepted an assignment at the Air National Guard Readiness Center (ANGRC) as the chief of current operations for the Air National Guard (ANG). The general subsequently became the assistant director of operations for the Air National Guard. He then accepted a follow-on assignment as the ANG advisor to the director of operations at Headquarters Air Combat Command (HQ ACC/DOL), Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.
Following his assignment with ACC the general was selected as the commander of the 106th Rescue Wing, Westhampton Beach, New York from 1997 to 2001. He was a command pilot with more than 4,900 flying hours, retiring in 2003. |
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At this time we do not have the official biography of Brig. General Cooper. |
Wing Commanders
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Colonel Michael F. Canders graduated from the US Naval Academy and served as a Naval Aviator and Navy Helicopter Pilot. He deployed to the Persian Gulf aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation during the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1980 and was awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal. He later worked at the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems command as a project officer for the Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) MK III.
He left Navy active duty to pursue a civilian career and switched services by accepting a reserve commission in the US Air Force and a commission in the NY Air National Guard. He joined the 106th Rescue Wing while working as a Senior Executive for a number of electronics designers and manufacturers on Long Island. He left his civilian business career to become the full time Commander of the 106th Rescue Wing in January 2002.
Colonel Canders is a helicopter pilot with over 4,000 flying hours and is currently the commander of the 106th Rescue Wing of the New York Air National Guard. He is the first helicopter pilot to lead the Wing.
Colonel Canders is also the Commander of Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2) which has regional responsibility for Nassau and Suffolk County in New York. The JTF2 is activated upon order from Joint Forces Headquarters NY (JFHQNY) to provide Defense Support to Civil Authorities as required. JFHQNY acts on behalf of the Governor of the State of New York in close coordination with the NY State Emergency Management Office (SEMO).
Colonel Canders deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1993 and served in the 4404th Composite Wing, the multi-national task force responsible for enforcement of the Southern No Fly Zone in Iraq. He also served in Incirlik AB, Turkey in 1996 in support of Operation Provide Comfort II, and enforcement of the Northern No Fly Zone. In 2000 he again deployed to Incirlik AB and served as the Detachment Commander of a Forward Operating Location in Eastern Turkey. In 2003, he briefly deployed with his combat search and rescue force to Ali Air Base near Nasiriyah in Southern Iraq.
Colonel Canders has also participated in a number of civil search and rescue missions as a helicopter mission commander. He and his crew were awarded Air Medals for a nighttime hoist and medevac of a critically injured foreign national from a vessel in the North Atlantic. He also participated in the search for the TSgt. Arden "Rick" Smith, the only pararescueman lost during a rescue mission in the Wing; the search and recovery efforts of following the explosion of TWA Flight 800, and the search for John F. Kennedy Jr, and family. He also led a rescue and recovery team that saved 161 lives in the city of New Orleans after Katrina in 2005. His other decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Aerial Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf cluster, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Southwest Asia Service Medal and the Kuwait Liberation Medal.
Colonel Canders is also a graduate of Hofstra University with an MBA (Finance). He also has earned a Doctorate in Management from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minn.
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Colonel Stack served as the acting Wing Commander from September 9, 2001 to October 2002. Colonel Stack was a full-time TWA airline pilot. |
Col. Bobby Brittain
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Colonel Brittain served as the Wing Commander from 1997 to 9 September 2001, just two days before the terrorist attack on New York. Colonel Brittain successfully led the Wing through a operational readiness inspection (ORI).
Colonel Brittain, originally from Arkansas, was well liked by wing personnel, and developed a close relationship with many personnel. This style served him well as he pushed the wing to pass the first ORI in a dozen years.
Although the attack on New York and Washington did not occur until he moved on to new command, he was closely involved in deployments in support of Operation Southern Watch and Operation Northern Watch. |
Col. David B. Hill, Jr.
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At this time we are unable to obtain Colonel Hill's biography. He served during a very busy time for the Wing from 1990 to 1997. He was assisted by his gracious wife Anne Hill.
Colonel Hill, a C-130 pilot, served longer than any previous commander. During his tenure the wing deployed overseas, lost their first airman during a rescue mission, and was featured in the best selling book, The Perfect Storm.
Colonel Hill was a native of North Carolina. |
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Colonel Fenimore served as Wing Commander from 1987 to 1990. Colonel Fenimore was the first Commander to jump with the pararescuemen, a little known fact. He was a thoughtful leader and well liked by the troops. His eventual selection as the Assistant Adjutant for Air and subsequently as the State's Adjutant General were a reflection of his easy leadership style and popularity by the men and women who served under him. He was ably assisted by Major Rick Marino, a one-man tour-de-force, who managed the Wing in the Colonel's absence. Marino had risen through the ranks as a Mustang officer and was also well liked by the troops.
Colonel Fenimore was a native of upstate New York, where he has retired. |
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At this time we are unable to obtain Colonel Giere's biography. He served as Wing Commander from 1987 to 1989. |
Colonel Neal |
At this time we are unable to obtain Colonel Neal's biography. He served as Wing Commander from 1983 to 1987. Colonel Neal was the part-time commander. He was a senior airline pilot in civilian life. Neal, a resident of Arkansas, was also a "pig farmer." |
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At this time we are unable to obtain Colonel Campbell's biography. He served as Wing Commander from 1975 to 1977. |
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At this time we are unable to obtain Colonel Campbell's biography. He served as Wing Commander from 1973 to 1974. |
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At this time we are unable to obtain Colonel Campbell's biography. He served as Wing Commander from 1971 to 1973. |
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At this time we are unable to obtain Colonel Beers' and Colonel Meyer's biography. He served as Wing Commander from 1969 to 1971. |
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At this time we are unable to obtain Colonel Meyer's biography. He served as Wing Commander from 1959 to 1969. According to wing legend, Colonel Meyers called the wing for a formation one Sunday Unit Training Assembly, and he said to the wing personnel, that if they wanted to get out of the Air National Guard, they should just walk over to CBPO and resigned. According to the legend, hundreds did just that. This was at the height of the Vietnam War. |
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At this time we are unable to obtain Colonel George's biography. He served as Wing Commander from 1952 to 1958. |
General Howell M. Estes, Jr. |
At this time we are unable to obtain Colonel Curtis' biography. He served as Wing Commander from 1951 to 1952.
Colonel Howell M. Estes, Jr., USAF
Then Colonel Estes served as Wing Commander from 1951 to 1952 while the unit was stationed at March AFB, California. He went on to become a General and commander of the Military Airlift Command in 1964. His complete biography is here. |
Colonel Eric Steuve |
At this time we are unable to obtain Colonel Steuve's biography. He served as Wing Commander from 1946 to 1951.
The 106th Bomb Wing (Light) was formed on May 24, 1946. It was the forerunner of today’s 106th Rescue Wing. The Commanders of the unit from its formation (and in it’s various mission designations) are listed here. |
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Other Commanders
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Bolling’ experience at Plattsburg in the primitive and clumsy Gallaudet aeroplane opened up a field for discovery and mastery which would leave his active imagination and eager will no peace till he had made it his own. The new interest fulfilled much better than the lure of machine-guns his patriotic purpose to make himself ready for soldiering; it also satisfied his passion for Adventure. “I could see that aviation had completely fascinated him,” writes Dr. Phillips, who was with him at Plattsburg. “He would come down from a flight, his face all aglow, and the danger side, though thoroughly realized, was never uppermost in his mind. He often said to me in those early days of September, 1915, that if he went to war he would go as an aviator, where individual effort counted most, and where death, if it had to come, was swift and clean.” He was the just thirty-eight years old.
“Outdoors with Colonel Bolling,” Harvard Graduates’ Magazine, December 1921.
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Following the 'Great War' a number of flyers from the New York City region decided to join the National Guard. George Vaughn, Jr. took over the flying company at Miller Field, New Dorp, Staten Island, New York.
Vaughn was America's fourth-ranking fighter ace of World War I.
Vaughn's first aerial victory occured on 16 June, 1918, over Beaucourt, France. In Vaughn's own words, "I remember my first combat victory. The Pfalz I was engaged with got a long burst into my tail before I knew he was even in the sky. That was a great lesson never to be forgotten, always see the other fellow first and never let him see you first. Fortunately his aim was quite poor and after that it was only the routine we had learned in combat school. Eventually he turned for home. I chased him, which wasn't the right thing to do as it turned out. When I finally caught up with him I was quite far into German territory and my flight commander really told me off later, because he didn't relish being pulled that far into Germany just to watch over me. The Pfalz was confirmed by people in the squadron and on the ground. He fell in flames." |
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Lt. Col. Sengstacken, Mercready, and Ruvola
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Throughout the past 100 years more than 50 people have held the position of squadron commander, and during the past 20 years, Group Commander. This space will include a link to these many fine leaders who managed the people of the flying arm of the 106th Rescue Wing. Colonel Kevin Reilly is the current Group commander. The current squadron commander is Lt. Col. Brian Reilly (no relation). |
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Major Kenneth P. Littauer, 22 March 1921
Major Laurence Bower, 1930
Major Victor Nelson, 15 October 1940
Captain Russell F. Fisher, November 1942
Major George L. Alvin, July 1943
1Lt Kenneth H. Dehoff, November 1943
Major Walter P. Williams, to 14 April 1944
Captain David S. Pallister, 1947
Colonel Lewis A. Curtis, 1 March 1951
Major Robert D. Terry, no date
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Lt. Col. Bill Stratemeier
Lt. Col. Edward Fleming
Lt. Col. Robert Grisnik
Lt. Col. John Flannagan
Lt. Col. Graham Buschor
Lt. Col. Robert Landseidel
Lt. Col. David Ruvola
Lt. Col. Robert Stack |
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CMSgt. Bernie
CMSgt. Frank Guerra
CMSgt. Eugene Grassie
***Position Renamed Command Chief
CMSgt.
CMSgt. Edward Reiter |
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