NY Air Guard commander gets two-star rank during ceremony at Stewart Air National Guard Base

Major General Michael Bank, promoted inside C-17 Globemaster III transport flown by the 105th Airlift Wing

Newburgh, New York (10/08/2024) — New York Air National Guard Major General Michael Bank, the commander of the 5,800-member New York Air National Guard, was officially promoted to his two-star rank during a ceremony inside a C-17 Globermaster III transport plane at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh on Tuesday, October 8.

Bank, a resident of Darien Center in Genesee County, with 36 years of service, commands the largest state Air National Guard in the country, with five air wings and one of two air defense sectors in the Air Force.

Bank took command of the New York Air National Guard from Major General Denise Donnell on June 3.

Major General Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York and presiding officer at the ceremony, praised Bank as the right officer for the job.

"Mike is a great leader with decades of experience and knowledge, "Shields said.

Bank is following in the footsteps of other great commanders who have made the New York Air National Guard the best in the nation, Shields added.

"You know what needs to be done and are a highly effective leader. I look forward to working with you in the future," Shields said.

In his remarks Banks praised the Airmen and officer of the Air National Guard who he has worked with through the years.

"Thank you for your guidance, mentorship and trust in me to get to this point," Bank said. "It has been my honor and privilege to serve alongside you, with you, and for you for these many years."

"The experience and bonds that only service to a nation can forge will be enduring and ones I value greatly," he added.

The Air Force and the Air National Guard are facing challenges and changes as great powers compete in the world, Bank said, and the leaders of the New York Air National Guard need to be ready for that change.

"There is no better leadership team assembled to transformation than the one in the New York Air National Guard," he said.

Bank also thanked his family, his wife Kim and his two adult children, Kylynn and Kristian, for their support over the years.

Bank earned his commission in the Air Force through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Florida State University.

He joined the Active Air Force in 1988 and served as a B-52 bomber navigator until 1994, when he transferred to the New York Air National Guard's 107th Refueling Wing in Niagara Falls, New York.

In 1999, he qualified as a pilot and then served in a number of positions in the 107th, including wing vice commander, as it transitioned to an airlift wing.

From 2015 to 2020, he served as the commander of the 106th Rescue Wing, based at F.S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach on Long Island.

In 2020 he was assigned as an assistant adjutant general for the New York Air National Guard, while also serving as Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander of the U.S., Air Force Expeditionary Center, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.

He has 1,800 hours of flying service as a senior navigator and is a command pilot with over 5,000 flying hours in the B-52H, KC-135R, C-130H, and HC-130J.

Bank holds a Bachelor of Science in computer and information science. He is a graduate of the Air Command Staff College, the Air War College, and the Joint and Combined Warfighting School.

More photographs of the ceremony can be seen and downloaded here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nyng/albums/72177720321000107

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