Col. Wagner
TOWN OF NEWBURGH – The current vice commander of the 105th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard at Stewart Airport will be elevated to base commander.
Col. Howard Wagner will take over from Brig. Gen. Timothy LaBarge, who has been named chief of staff of the Air Guard at the National Guard headquarters near Albany.
Wagner joined the Air Force in 1982. He flew over two dozen combat reconnaissance missions during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The Redding, Connecticut resident will assume the command of the 105th on May 15.
The unit operates nine C-17 cargo aircraft in support of Air Force missions
and responds to New York State emergencies.
