Col. Timothy Leahy, commander of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, will be the keynote speaker at this month’s Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce annual banquet.
The banquet will be held at 6 p.m. April 24 at the First United Methodist Church fellowship hall in Portales at 200 S. Ave. C.
Advance tickets must be purchased by April 18.
Leahy, who assumed command of the 27th SOW at Cannon on Oct. 1, 2007, has spent much of his Air Force career stationed several times at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque and Hurlburt Field in Florida, according to a news release.
A decorated command pilot, Leahy has more than 3,000 flight hours in seven different military aircraft, primarily Special Operations Forces aircraft.
As commander of the 27th Special Operations Wing, Leahy is responsible for preparing Air Force special operations forces for missions worldwide in support of Army and Navy special operations forces and Air Force counterparts, the news release said.
Under Cannon’s new mission, the base will be equipped with a variety of special operations aircraft, including the MC-130WCombat Spear, MQ-1 Predator, CV-22 Osprey and AC-130 gunship.
Leahy has served with the U.S. Air Force since 1985, when he was an ROTC graduate with a bachelor of science degree in business administration from The Citadel.
He went on to earn several other degrees and has held a variety of staff positions at the group, wing, major command and unified combatant command levels.
His military honors through the years include the NATO Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and 17 other major awards and military decorations, the news release said.
Tickets for the annual chamber banquet cost $20 per person. The event is open to the public.
Advance tickets may be purchased at the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce office on the downtown square in Portales at 100 S. Avenue A.
The chamber office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Information: 356-8541.
