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Region Review: New England Region
NEW ENGLAND REGION AT A GLANCE
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4000 AFA members across six states
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Two State organizations – Massachusetts and Rhode Island – and three states with designated Presidents: Connecticut,
New Hampshire and Vermont
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Eleven Chapters: five in Massachusetts, two each in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and one each in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Only Maine has no chapters
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Current Region President: John Hasson
Welcome to this month’s update on the New England Region. Nearly 4000 AFA members call New England home and we who are active in our Chapter,
State, and Region activities are proud of the AFA spirit that abounds here.
The Region, as you might guess, covers the six States of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. With the
exception of the Florida Region, we are perhaps the only Region that puts forth such a common geographic picture in our minds.
The Region presently includes two State organizations, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and eleven Chapters. New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Vermont
have “designated” State Presidents to bolster AFA’s presence with State and National congressional delegations. Only the AFA members in Maine do
not have a chapter in their State – yet. Establishment of a chapter there is a top priority for the coming year.
Many of the eleven New England chapters are located near traditional Air Force installations – active duty, Reserve and Air National Guard. In New
Hampshire, their single chapter, BG Harrison Thyng #249, provides support to the activities at Space Command’s New Boston (NH) AFS, Pease ANGB,
and several AFJROTC units. Vermont’s Green Mountain Chapter #326 is directly associated with the 158th FW at Burlington ANGB. In Rhode Island,
Metropolitan Chapter #311 has a strong focus on the ANG unit at Quonset Point, while Newport Blue & Gold #180 is linked primarily to the Air Force
students and faculty at the Naval War College at Newport.
Three of the Massachusetts chapters are closely aligned with their respective Air Force units: Pioneer Valley Chapter #111 is tied to the 439th
AW at Westover ARB and also supports the 104th FW at Barnes ANGB. Otis #166 works closely with the 6th Space Warning Squadron at Cape Cod AFS
as well as several ANG units on the Massachusetts Military Reservation/Otis ANGB, and Paul Revere #178 enjoys a very close relationship with
Hanscom AFB’s Electronic Systems Center and the 66th ABW.
Both the Pioneer Valley and Otis Chapters are coming on strong as rejuvenated chapters with excited new leadership and a strong mission focus
for their members. The other two Massachusetts chapters, Minuteman #167 and Worcester #171 are not so closely tied to traditional installations,
but enjoy their support for AFROTC, AFJROTC and CAP cadet units in their areas. Connecticut boasts two chapters, Flying Yankee/Gen Kenney #423
and Lindbergh-Sikorsky #312. The Flying Yankee Chapter works closely with the 103rd AW at Bradley ANGB as well as the AFROTC detachment at UCONN.
The Lindbergh-Sikorsky Chapter, located predominantly in southwestern Connecticut, is without an installation and is in the process of rebuilding
itself. It is worth noting that two of the Region’s chapters (Flying Yankee #423 and Paul Revere #178) have a heavy reliance on industry
membership.
Several chapters struggle with a significantly aging membership profile. As a result, the AFA Field Council is piloting a program with three
MA chapters to entice and involve younger members. Two of the three currently have a very young chapter officer profile and are well-positioned
to carry this transformation forward.
In terms of chapter size, our smallest is the Newport Blue & Gold Chapter #180 in Rhode Island with about 45 members - the smallest in the CONUS -
that makes its home at the Naval War College. Each summer, the incoming Air Force class members in both the junior and senior schools get the
Chapter President’s invitation to join AFA and affiliate with the chapter for the next year. Many of their regular member programs are aimed at
keeping Air Force students focused on the right shade of “blue” during their studies.
The largest chapter in the New England Region is the Paul Revere Chapter #178 at just over 725 members. This chapter just garnered the prestigious
“Donald W. Steele, Sr. Award” as the AFA Outstanding Unit of the Year for 2009. Paul Revere does everything well, from Veteran’s programs to
Community Partners to Aerospace Education and scholarships to supporting their nearest installation’s commanders at the Electronic Systems Center
at Hanscom AFB. They are also famous for some pretty amazing big-time symposia that draw over 1000 attendees each with very significant speakers
from the Air Force leadership as well as industry.
We can’t leave the New England Region without saying something about the two State organizations in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Both have some
common traits, among which is the continuous development of leaders for the top elected State positions. Both also have traditions of State
Presidents with a strong focus on promoting their chapters as cheerleaders and with direct involvement in chapter activities – not to also run a
chapter, but rather to serve as an example of what chapter leadership is all about.
Another common trait for the past several years has been State leaders who work closely with the Region President and who strive to be well-informed
on AFA National-level and Air Force issues. Both States recently held their annual State Conventions and elected their leaders for the next year.
While the two State’s membership numbers show a significant difference -- ~1750 in Massachusetts and five chapters versus ~250 in Rhode Island and
two chapters – there is no difference in enthusiasm for the AFA mission and the promotion of their chapters.
New England Region web site: www.newenglandafa.org
Submitted by Ron Adams, Past President, New England Region
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