CONTACT: Mr. Eric Durr, 518-786-4581 or (cell) 518-429-51867

FOR RELEASE: Thursday, Feb 26, 2009

ON SITE: Captain Anthony Bucci (Hancock Field ANGB) (315) 233 -2651

WHO:

Major General Robert Knauff, Major General Joseph Taluto, the Adjutant General, and members of the 174th Fighter Wing and New York Air National Guard

WHAT:

SYRACUSE, NY (02/25/2009)-- Major General Robert A. Knauff, a former commander of the 174th Fighter Wing, Commander of the 6,000-member New York Air National Guard and Deputy Adjutant General of New York will retire after 33 years in the United States Air Force and Air National Guard at a ceremony Thursday afternoon at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base

WHEN:

2 p.m. Thursday, February 26, 2009

WHERE:

174th Fighter Wing, Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, 6001 East Molloy Road, Syracuse, NY.

Interested news agencies should contact Capt Anthony Bucci at 315-233-2651 no later than 12:45 p.m. on Thursday February 26 to gain access to this secure military facility. Media members should be present at the Thompson Road Gate (Intersection of Thompson and East Molloy Road) no later than 1:30pm to gain entrance to the facility, at which time they will be escorted to the location by Capt. Anthony Bucci for ceremony coverage.

BACKGROUND:

Coverage Opportunities: Camera crews will have an opportunity to interview MG Knauff and other National Guard leaders, along with collecting imagery of the formal retirement ceremony. Major General Robert Knauff: A 1975 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Gen Knauff completed Undergraduate Pilot Training in 1976. In the years following, he undertook a series of flying and command assignments culminating with his present duty at the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs in Latham, NY. In addition, he served as the Air National Guard assistant to the commander, U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command. He is a combat veteran with more than 3,900 flying hours. A resident of Manlius, Onondaga County, the general previously served as commander of the 174th Fighter Wing at Hancock Air National Guard Base in Syracuse from 1996 to 2003. His previous assignments included serving as an F-15 instructor pilot at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona; serving as a forward air controller at George Air Force Base in California; flying F-106s with the New Jersey Air National Guard; and serving as the Chief of staff of the New York Air National Guard. Knauff's awards include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, Combat Readiness Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal, Air Force Overseas Ribbon, and Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the New York State Conspicuous Service Medal, and the New York State Defense of Liberty Medal. The New York Air National Guard: The New York Air National Guard is the nation's largest state air force comprised of five flying wings and the Northeast Defense Sector. It has more than 6,000 officer and enlisted members statewide. New York Air National Guard units fly C-130 and giant C-5A cargo aircraft, operate rescue helicopters that fly missions along the Atlantic seaboard, and watch the skies over the northeastern United States. The 174th Fighter Wing in Syracuse, which currently Quote from Major General Joseph Taluto, the Adjutant General: "Since assuming command of the New York Air National Guard in 2005, General Knauff put New York's air units at the heart of the Global War on Terrorism and humanitarian support operations throughout the United States and around the globe. Under his leadership, New York deployed thousands of airmen as part of designated deployments worldwide, including domestic security operations in the years following the 2001 World Trade Center attacks and combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan

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