Photo By Senior Airman Alexis Pentzer | Beale Air Force Base (AFB) leadership meet with the Yuba Sutter & Placer Community...... read more read more
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BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- It’s been a significant year for Team Beale. For the first time in seven years, we opened our gates to the public for our Air and Space Expo. After deploying as the lead wing, Beale Airmen returned following six months away from home. All the while, we continued to innovate, expand capabilities, and incorporate revolutionary technologies into our battlespace.
As we reflect on a year of honest work and look forward to great things on the horizon, it is important to give thanks to our community partners who stand with us every step of the way.
Organizations like the Beale Military Liaison Council (BMLC) and the Yuba Sutter & Placer Community Military Appreciation Council (CMAC) foster a fulfilling and supportive environment for the Airmen and Guardians who work tirelessly to enable our intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission.
Senior Airman Sabina Hernandez, 9th Security Forces cyber security liaison, said it can feel isolating at times coming to a new place. “Especially for the Airmen in the dorms, we don’t always see many people outside of the work cycle,” Hernandez said. Originally from El Paso, Texas, events like the recent burger burn the BMLC put on for the 9th Mission Support Group help build a sense of home. “When these events happen, it’s something outside of work that allows us to get together,” she said.
“This holiday season, we are deeply grateful for the decades-long partnership between the Beale Military Liaison Council and Beale Air Force Base,” said Sami Nall, BMLC Chair. "In 2025, that partnership strengthened quality of life, advanced advocacy, delivered a successful air show, and rallied the community during the government shutdown—through grocery discounts, financial assistance, and a diaper drive that provided more than 10,000 diapers and wipes. BMLC is proud to be the connective tissue between Beale and the community, helping turn that support into mission strength."
The government shutdown temporarily shuttered many of the services available to the base population and community organizations continued to serve in important roles and helped strengthen feelings of connection.
“You know, every couple of years, [Beale] leadership changes,” said Maria Ball, CMAC Executive Director. “But we want to build those relationships and have these things in place so the community can continue to serve the base,” said Ball. CMAC aims to build tight knit cooperative relationships with First Sergeants and the Airmen themselves. “We want to build those relationships; we want to meet needs. We want to be connected … so we can meet those needs as a community,” Ball said.
Meeting these needs includes providing resources to Airmen, and CMAC has been instrumental in supporting Operation Warm Heart and the creation of the Beale Airmen’s Market. “Taking care of Airmen means ensuring they have access to real, practical resources," said Master Sgt. Kayla Judge, 13th Intelligence Squadron first sergeant. “CMAC support has been essential in the upcoming opening of the Beale Airmen’s Market for our Airmen and families.”
This year, we also welcomed the newest class of Honorary Commanders. The program matches local civic leaders with base leadership. Each Honorary Commander placement lasts two years, a period during which many military commanders move to new commands. This allows Honorary Commanders to serve as a link between incoming and outgoing leadership, an important bridge needed to carry through long range development.
“This totally voluntary program creates partnerships that strengthen the support network for our Airmen and Guardians and connect them to resources in the local community," said Col. Keagan McLeese, 9th Reconnaissance Wing and Beale Air Force Base installation commander. “Even when I leave and a new commander comes in at Beale, along with new honorary commanders, we’ve created bonds that will outlast our times in these positions.”
Beale is dedicated to strengthening its bond with the local community through professional partnerships, direct community service, and civic engagement. Close relationships with local emergency services and law enforcement agencies, for instance, create invaluable opportunities for cooperative training. Airmen regularly volunteer at the Sacramento International Airport as decoys to aid in training operations with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Explosive Detection Unit and the Transportation Security Administration.
This community connection also extends to local students, with Airmen also volunteering in classrooms. Following efforts like the 9th Logistics Readiness Squadron reading to students on Dr. Seuss Day, the 9th Communications Squadron (CS) recently laid the groundwork for a reading program at Andros Karparos School in Yuba City. This partnership, set to begin early next year, leverages the close relationship between the 9th CS commander, Maj. Michelle Cazares, and her Honorary Commander, Dr. Rocco Greco, Andros Karparos School’s principal.
Lastly, Beale proudly demonstrates its commitment to the community and veterans through ceremonial support at local events. From catching and folding the American flag at the Marysville Stampede to honoring the fallen alongside local veterans on Memorial Day, our men and women continuously reinforce the deep bond between the base and the community it serves.
As we usher in the New Year, we hope to build upon the positive momentum generated through our powerful partnerships through the BLMC and CMAC as well as the support we receive from the community at large. From individual volunteers to local food banks, and the enthusiastic help from city and county supervisors, the combined effects are paramount.
When working together like this, all of Team Beale benefits and it affords our uniformed Airmen and civilians the capacity to carry out our critical mission sets.
| Date Taken: | 12.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.31.2025 16:03 |
| Story ID: | 555393 |
| Location: | BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, One Team, One Community: A Year of Partnership, by Charles Borsos, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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