Military Affairs Committee strengthens Great Falls and Air Force partnership

GREAT FALLS, MT, UNITED STATES

12.29.2017

Story by John Turner 

341st Missile Wing

Veteran-friendly education programs. Mutual aid agreements for emergency services. Professional training with civilian partners.
The Air Force has long enjoyed positive relationships with communities throughout Central Montana.
At the forefront of maintaining these bonds is the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce’s Military Affairs Committee, or MAC.
Throughout the year the MAC supports events and programs at Malmstrom Air Force Base and the Montana Air National Guard’s 120th Airlift Wing that directly benefit Airmen and their families. The MAC also fosters a mutual understanding between business, civic and military leaders by bringing them together for social events including monthly luncheons and an annual MAC Ball.
Currently there are more than 100 MAC members. Approximately half are paired with local wing, group and squadron leaders in a co-commander program that builds professional and social relationships between the community and the Air Force.
“The Military Affairs Committee recognizes the huge impact that Malmstrom has in our community,” said Joann Gogo, MAC executive member and the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce’s Membership Director. “(MAC) is a partnership between the civilian community and Malmstrom AFB to address any concerns where we can be of support to Malmstrom and vice versa.”
This partnership includes efforts to help military families transition into the Great Falls community with the benefits of their prior work experience and education.
Several years ago, the MAC recognized that military children were losing academic progress when they transferred to Montana.
“We realized that the students that were (permanently changing stations) to Great Falls, some of their credits were not honored in the school system,” Gogo said. “We heard about that through Malmstrom and we partnered up with the public schools” to have legislation changed.
Another example of cooperation is the welcome event the MAC hosted in July on the eve of the 2017 Montana Military Open House. The free event at Gibson Park gave the public an opportunity to mingle with aerial demonstration teams and military personnel prior to the two-day open house at Great Falls International Airport.
“The community got together and made that happen,” Gogo said. “We provided food and beverage. We partnered up with the Air Force to provide entertainment to the local community and to promote the airshow event.”
In past years the MAC has supported visiting Air Force Tops in Blue concerts and contributed to a beautification project outside Malmstrom’s 2nd Avenue North gate, according to Gogo. And the MAC is a significant backer of Malmstrom’s missile competition teams, assisting with distinctive apparel and hospitality rooms when the teams go to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.
“Global Strike Challenge is a big program that we support,” Gogo said. “We feel that it’s really important for the community to support that because we understand and realize that when the Airmen go to these competitions they are not just representing Malmstrom but they are representing Great Falls.”
The MAC also routinely supports deployment events, holiday parties, award ceremonies and scholarships through financial donations to wing associations, squadron booster clubs and spouses groups.
And while the MAC sponsors several recreational opportunities for Airmen and their families throughout the year, its support of base picnics each summer at both Malmstrom and the 120th AW possibly has the greatest reach into these military communities. This year the MAC contributed $2,300 to each picnic. MAC members also volunteered their time to barbecue and serve food.
“The Military Affairs Committee shows tremendous support to the 341st Force Support Squadron's Morale, Welfare and Recreation Programming through sponsorship of events and through volunteerism at those events,” according to Donna Whitmore, 341st FSS commercial sponsorship coordinator.
To make all this happen, the MAC’s Executive Committee—approximately 15 members in all—meets once a month at the Chamber of Commerce. Here it meets with representatives from Malmstrom and the Montana Air National Guard, coordinates events and votes on financial allocations; the core of the operating budget comes from member dues and is supplemented by fundraisers like the annual Golferoo and poker tournaments in Great Falls.
MAC’s continuous involvement is important to maintaining strong ties between Great Falls and the Air Force, Whitmore affirmed.
“It's vital to our mission to bridge the relationship between Malmstrom AFB and Great Falls and the surrounding community, and the MAC is an essential part of that process,” she said.

• Date Taken: 12.29.2017
• Date Posted: 12.29.2017 17:28
• Story ID: 260867
• Location: GREAT FALLS, MT, US