Air Guard NCO and Schenectady resident Mayra Winnie sings before thousands in Yankee Stadium

Latham, New York (08/27/2024) — On Saturday, August 10, New York Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Mayra Winnie, a Schenectady resident, belted out "God Bless America" in front of 41,996 people.

Winnie, the personal and development superintendent for the New York Air National Guard's headquarters detachment, performed as part of the New York Yankees Military Appreciation Day game, that day

.According to the team's website, 41,996 was the headcount for the stadium that day.

Getting to sing in Yankee Stadium before thousands of people was "like a dream," Winnie said."I'm from Amsterdam, we don't normally get to do things like that," she said.

Winnie's performance of Irving Berlin's classic song, made famous in World War II by singer Kate Smith, came during the Seventh Inning Stretch during a game between the Yankees and the Texas Rangers.

Her husband, Air Guard Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Winnie, and her daughters Riley, Reagan, and Mia, and a lot more family members, got the chance to be there while she stood behind home plate and sang.

Winnie's trip to Yankee Stadium started when she and other Air Guard headquarters personnel were brainstorming ways to get more attention to the New York Air National Guard, she said.

The New York Air Guard has five wings at five bases and is the largest in the country, but most New Yorkers aren't aware of it, Winnie said.

Lt. Col. Kristen Gibson, the New York Air Guard recruiting officer, said she started looking for the opportunity to do something with the Yankees, when Major Gen. Denise Donnell, then the New York Air Guard commander, introduced her to Capt. Steve Palladino from the 105th Airlift Wing.

Palladino introduced her to people in Yankees marketing, and they began discussing ways the New York Air Guard could support the team and get some visibility, Gibson explained.

The first opportunity was on July 20, when a New York Air National Guard Color Guard took part an opening ceremony.The second opportunity was on August 10.

Yankees marketing asked Palladino if the New York Air Guard could find an Airman to sing "God Bless America", Gibson said.Winnie, who said she loves the song, volunteered to sing that song.

Winnie, who was named the Air Force Support Senior Noncommissioned Officer for the year for the entire Air National Guard this spring, joined the Air Guard in 2005.

She initially served as an intelligence specialist, before going on to hold a variety of administrative positions in the 109th Airlift Wing. The wing, based outside Schenectady, flies the ski-equipped version of the C-130 and routinely conducts missions in Antarctica and Greenland.

She's been honored for performance several times, to include being the 109th Airlift Wing Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.

Winnie also serves as a volunteer for the City Mission of Schenectady and as a volunteer veterans advocate. And while doing all that, she took part in the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce Leadership Capital Region Steering Committee.

She started honing her singing skills while being part of the 109th Airlift Wing's worship team, Winnie said.

When she deployed to Qatar, she sang during church services there as well, she said.At home in Schenectady, Winnie now serves as the video director for Bethel Full Gospel Church in nearby Rotterdam. She sings occasionally and directs five cameras and three camera operators who livestream services, Winnie explained.

While she is a confident singer, Winnie said she still took two voice lessons to prepare for her Yankee Stadium gig, Winnie said. She wanted to make sure she got it right, she explained.

The biggest challenge in singing at a massive stadium is the delayed effect in the sound system Winnie said.That challenge is evident to anyone who has seen the classic scene in "Pride of the Yankees where Garry Cooper, playing Lou Gherig, declares himself "the luckiest man on the face of the Earth" as the words echo from the stadium speakers.

Fortunately, she got a chance to practice before her big moment, so she knew what to expect, Winnie said.They also gave her earphones to wear, which helped drown out the extra sound.

That made it easier, she said.

Getting a New York Air National Guard Airman up on the Jumbotron in Yankee Stadium, is great exposure, Gibson said. Not only was Winnie's performance seen in the stadium, but it was also broadcast nationally, she added."I saw it in Florida," Gibson said.

"We cannot really put a price tag on it, or what the media advertising return on it is," Gibson said, about Winnie's performance."But just anecdotally, just being able to reach a wider audience of a winning organization like the Yankees, has got to be good exposure," Gibson said.

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