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Vice Commander of NY Air National Guard’s107th Airlift Wing, Gary R. Charlton II, a Skaneateles resident, is promoted to Colonel

Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, NY (01/25/2017) — Gary R. Charlton II, a Skaneateles resident, was promoted to colonel in the New York Air National Guard in a ceremony held Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.

Charlton is the Vice Commander of the 107th Airlift Wing, was previously the commander of the 107th Operations Group, and served as the commander of the 138th Attack Squadron, 174th Attack Wing, at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse.

Charlton is responsible for leading the 107th through their conversion to the MQ-9 as they begin supporting the 432d Air Expeditionary Wing; providing highly trained and skilled pilots, sensor operators and mission intelligence coordinators to support U.S. and coalition forces.

Charlton graduated from the Columbia College in 1995 earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. He is a senior pilot with more than 2600 flying hours, including four deployments flying over 100 F-16C combat missions in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

As an enlisted Airman, Charlton deployed in support of Operations Desert Shield, Desert Strom and Northern Watch on two separate occasions.

Charlton has received a number of awards, including the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, Aerial Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, the Meritorious Unit Award, the Combat Readiness Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terror Expeditionary Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

He is also a graduate of Academy of Military Science, He is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College.

The New York Air National Guard has had a presence at Niagara Falls Air Reserve station since 1946 when it was organized as the 107th Fighter Group flying P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers like those used in World War II.

As members of the Air National Guard, the Airmen of the 107th also respond regularly to emergencies and disasters here at home.

The 107th is now in the process of converting to the MQ-9 Reaper, a remotely piloted aircraft. The unit plans to be fully operational in the new mission by 2017.

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Lt. Col. Gary Charlton

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