NY Air Guard's 105th Airlift Wing holds Friday memorial for former commander, former adjutant general Major Gen. Thomas Maguire

Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, New York (08/19/2024) — The New York Air National Guard's 105th Airlift Wing will commemorate the life of Major General Thomas Maguire, the wing's commander from 1994 to 2001, and the commander of the New York National Guard on Sept. 11, 2001, with a memorial service on Friday, August 23.

Members of the press are invited to cover the memorial. Maguire died on July 20 in Florida.

WHO: Airmen from the New York Air National Guard's 105th Airlift Wing

WHAT: A memorial marking the life and career of Major General Thomas Maguire who died on July 20 in Sun City Center, Florida. Maguire commanded the 105th Airlift Wing from 1994 to 2001 and served as adjutant general of New York from 2001 to 2005; leading the New York National Guard in its response to the World Trade Center attacks for Sept. 11, 2001.

WHEN: 10 a.m., Friday August 23, 2024. Media should plan on a 9 a.m. show time.

WHERE: Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh.

Coverage Opportunities:

Reporters can capture video and still images of the memorial and speak with members of the wing, including Maguire's son, Lt. Col. Thomas Maguire.

For access to this secure military facility reporters must contact 1st Lt. Briana Ross, the 105th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Officer, at (845) 563-2075 or email 105.AW.PA.Mailbox.Org@us.af.mil no later than 5 p.m. on August 21.

BACKGROUND:

Major General (retired) Thomas P. Maguire, Jr, 77, the former Adjutant General of New York, passed away on July 20, 2024, at his home in Sun City Center, FL where he lived happily with his wife Debbie for the past 14 years. The oldest of five children, he was born to Thomas and Florence Maguire on June 8,1947 in Mount Vernon, New York.

Thomas Maguire was a decorated United States Air Force veteran, having served 34 years in the active duty and Air National Guard. Additionally, he was a highly regarded member of the community and church, positively impacting any organization he was involved with. Most notably, he was a loving and dedicated husband to his wife Debbie and a shining example of fatherhood to his children, Lindsay, Tom, and Dan.

Maguire received a United States Air Force Regular Commission in June of 1969 as a distinguished graduate of the Reserve Officer Training Corps at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He received his pilot wings in 1970 at Laredo Air Force Base, TX.

Maguire's first operational assignment was in the Republic of Vietnam in 1971 as a Forward Air Controller, where he flew the O-2A Skymaster piloting over 250 combat missions during his 12 months in theater. He returned to Laredo in 1972 as a T-37 instructor pilot. Major General Maguire joined the New York Air National Guard in 1974 as a member of the 137th Tactical Air Support Squadron, White Plains, NY.

He married his wife of 48 years, the former Ms. Deborah Combs, on May 22, 1976. Their first child, Lindsay arrived a year later in 1977, Tom, in December 1979, and Dan completed their family in May of 1981. Tom and Debbie created a home in Walden, NY where they would raise their children, and be active participants within the local area.

The 137th mission moved to Stewart Air Reserve Training Center, Newburgh, NY, in 1982, and around the same time, then Lieutenant Colonel Maguire, was a leader in the largest weapons system conversion in Air National Guard history: from the O-2A Skymaster to the C-5A Galaxy.

He would go on to hold a number of leadership positions in the 137th Airlift Squadron and the 105th Military Airlift Group and would, again, lead a historical Air National Guard effort as the 105th was mobilized to provide unprecedented airlift in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Maguire would rise to the position of Wing Commander of the 105th Airlift Wing until being appointed to his final position as the Adjutant General of New York in August 2001.

As the Adjutant General of New York, Maguire was appointed and confirmed just weeks prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

He was instrumental, along with the men and women of the New York National Guard, in orchestrating the response to ground zero in Manhattan, calmly and collectedly navigating the fog of war normally reserved for a battlefield thousands of miles away.

His focus during this time was also ensuring the Soldiers and airmen within his command were properly trained and equipped to bring the fight overseas and that the families of these heroes were cared for.

He worked tirelessly to better the Hudson Valley community, a community equally supportive of the 105th Airlift Wing.

He and Debbie also gave endlessly to promoting the mission of Most Precious Blood Parish in Walden, being active contributors at weekly mass and their children attending Most Precious Blood School. Simply put, Major General Maguire and wife Debbie, changed the trajectory of people's lives and the world is a better place because of them.

Maguire is survived by his wife Debbie, daughter Lindsay, sons Tom and Dan, and grandchildren Dolores, Evelyn, Abigal, Josiah, Eleanor, and Alexis.

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