WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. --
The 439th Airlift Wing Top 3 Enlisted Council hosted the Westover Dining-Out on April 6 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
The event is a military tradition that brings Airmen, other services and family members together to build camaraderie. It is also a fundraiser for the Top 3 organization, who donates the money raised to local community organizations.
Col. Kelly Hosey, a former 439th Mission Support Group commander, was the event’s guest speaker.
“Col. Hosey is a unicorn,” said Command Chief Master Sgt. Chin Cox, president of the mess. “Not only did she climb the ranks to chief master sergeant but she then got her commission and has risen to the rank of colonel.”
“What is important is not how I got here but who got me here,” Hosey said. “I’m much more tactical. I see what’s in front of me and I just begin. However, I have been blessed with some amazing commanders, supervisors, mentors and co-workers that have guided me along the way.”
Hosey is now the commander of the 452nd Mission Support Group at March Air Reserve Base, California.
Col. Craig C. Peters, the 439th Airlift Wing commander, and his wife Kathy were honored guests at the event.
Peters and his wife both grew up in the area and he served at Westover in the early 1990s. He and his wife had their second date at the Log Cabin, he said.
“Coming back home 24 and a half years ago after we left here, to think I’d be standing here tonight is just incredible and an honor,” he said.
The event ended with the crowd singing a tribute to each of the armed services.
120 guests attended the event and raised $1500 for a local charity.