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This year marks the 54th anniversary of the Military Appreciation Banquet, an event that started out as small dinner-in-the-home parties hosted by Jim and Rosemary Messer* for their friends in the military. It quickly grew and prospered into the banquet style event it is today, hosting over 600 people annually. The evening honors military personnel from Interior Alaska in recognition of their excellence, leadership, and commitment in service to our armed forces. The banquet is a great way for our community to show our gratitude and support for our friends in uniform.
The banquet program includes recognition of military members who have exhibited distinguished service to our country and volunteer of the year recipients from each of out local installations including Eielson AFB, Ft Wainwright, Clear Space Force Station, and Ft. Greely. A member of the community, identified by military leadership for their promotion of military/community relations over the years will be awarded with the Jim Messer Award.
This event would not be possible without the generous support of the business community. If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please call us at (907) 452-1105.
*Jim Messer was the Chairman of the Military Affairs Committee for the Fairbanks Chamber for many years and, for decades, he was on the front lines of our community’s efforts to offer the military an environment of friendliness, first-class housing, and a quality of life second to none.
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2024 Keynote Speaker
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General James J. MingusVice Chief of Staff of the Army
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General Mingus enlisted in the Iowa National Guard on 28 December 1981, in 1985 he was commissioned through ROTC from Winona State University as a 2LT of Field Artillery and was later assessed on to Active Duty in 1987 as an Infantryman. In March 1988, he was posted as a platoon leader in 2nd Battalion, 20th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division, in Germany. Over the course of four years, he also served as a company executive officer and battalion maintenance officer.
After the Infantry Officers Advance Course, he posted to the 82nd Airborne Division where he commanded B Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry, the Division’s Long Range Surveillance Detachment, and was aide-de-camp to the division’s commanding general. General Mingus remained at Fort Bragg, taking command of the XVIII Airborne Corps’ Long Range Surveillance Company. In August 1997, he returned to ROTC to become an assistant professor of military science at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville. In 2000, he was posted to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, where he served as a liaison officer and operations officer. In January 2003, General Mingus returned to Fort Bragg, becoming chief of the Joint Planning Group, then chief of current operations, with Joint Special Operations Command.
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Past Messer Award Winners
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1994 Jim Messer, Chairman Emeritus, GFCC Military Affairs Committee1995 Frank Chapados, Member, Civilian Advisory Board, Alaskan Command1996 Dr. William Wood, Past President, University of Alaska and Past Mayor, City of Fairbanks1997 Senator Gary Wilken, Chairman, Joint Military Affairs Committee, Alaska Legislature1998 Chick Wallace, Alaska Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army1999 Richard Wien, Chairman, Interior Civilian-Military Airspace Committee2000 Steve Lundgren, Past President, Alaska Air Force Association2001 Karen Washburn, Chairperson, GFCC Military Affairs Committee2002 Rhonda Boyles, Mayor, Fairbanks North Star Borough2003 Ted Stevens, Alaska Senior Senator and Pro Temp President of the Senate2004 Bill Brophy, Co-Chair, GFCC Military Affairs Committee2005 Billy Blanchard, Co-Chair, GFCC Military Affairs Committee and Past President, Polar Bear Chapter, AUSA2006 Jim Dodson, Chairman of the “Save Eielson” Committee for BRAC Testimony2007 Steve Thompson, Mayor of the City of Fairbanks2008 Butch Stein, Chairman, GFCC Military Affairs Committee2009 Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senior Senator from Alaska2010 Althea St. Martin, Executive Assistant to Senator Lisa Murkowski2011 Lisa Herbert, Executive Director, Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce2012 Kevin Robinson, Manager, Lithia Chevrolet2013 Doug Isaacson, Former Mayor of North Pole2014 Luke Hopkins, Mayor, Fairbanks North Star Borough2015 Harry Cook, State Wide President, Air Force Association2016 Mike Ferguson, Ret Col and Military Appreciation Banquet Honorary Chair2017 Jim Dodson, Fairbanks Economic Development Corp2018 Tim Jones, Alaska Civilian Aide to the secretary of the Army and chair of the GFCC Military AffairsCommittee2019 Karl Kassel, Former Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor2022 Nathan Bergerbest, Former Deputy Chief of Staff for Senator Lisa Murkowski2023 Mayor Bryce Ward, Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor2024 Tom Hough, Retired Colonel of the US Army and Director of UAF Military and Veteran Services
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Highlights from the 2024 Military Appreciation Banquet
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