WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The Air Force Security Forces Association, a nonprofit organization headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, held its 2022 national meeting in Dayton, Ohio, and eight Reserve Citizen Airmen from the 445th Security Forces Squadron provided logistical coordination and support throughout the event.
More than 200 AFSFA members attended the event, which ran Sept. 15-18, 2022, and included a golf tournament, seminars and demonstrations, a memorial ceremony for fallen defenders, an extended museum tour and an awards banquet. Brig. Gen. Roy W. Collins, director of security forces and deputy chief of staff for logistics, engineering and force protection, as well as Chief Master Sgt. Donald S. Gallagher, security forces career field manager, attended the event.
With the exception of 2020 and 2021, which were cancelled due to public health concerns, the AFSFA holds a national meeting annually, rotating to different bases around the United States and hosting it in San Antonio every third year. AFSFA membership is open to current or former Army Air Corps military police, air police, security police, security forces defenders, and Department of Defense police officers.
Notably, the association, which became a nonprofit in Texas in 1987 and now has about 50 chapters globally, led the more than $100,000 effort to erect a defender statue inside the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
In the months leading up to the national meeting in Dayton, the association’s director, retired Air Force Col. John Probst, provided the outline for each day’s activities in advance, and 1st Lt. Bilal Temsah, S4 officer in charge, 445th SFS, meticulously coordinated the supplies and staffing necessary for each activity.
“The team did a great job of adapting on the fly,” Temsah said.
Among other tasks, the squadron members organized teams and sponsorships for the golf tournament, distributed refreshments, assembled a four-person Honor Guard flight for a ceremony, and acted as area ambassadors to the guests from across the country.
“The opportunities to network with other professionals in the career field was invaluable,” he added.
The 445th SFS also hosted a hospitality suite inside the hotel, stocking it with a variety of refreshments and also staffing it from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
By the conclusion of the event, AFSFA leadership publicly recognized each 445th SFS defender for their contributions to the national meeting’s success.