(WACO) – The Heart of Texas Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America hosted Waco native Rear Adm. James S. Bynum of the U.S. Navy for a luncheon Tuesday at Texas State Technical College.
“For TSTC, it’s an extreme honor to host MOAA, especially with our deep roots with the military and those who have and are serving,” TSTC Provost Adam Hutchison said.
Navy personnel, military veterans and TSTC and city leaders gathered in the terminal at the Col. James T. Connally Aerospace Center to celebrate Waco being one of 14 municipalities nationwide to host the special week this year.
“The HOT MOAA chapter supports all military branches and educates the public,” said Dr. Harold Rafuse, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel. “We work to provide scholarships for students, many of them are in fact TSTC students. We know that TSTC has created a strong relationship with military service members.”
Bynum, the chief of naval air training at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, said the Navy is striving to be more competitive in the world.
“We are growing because the Navy needs us to be bigger than we are,” he said.
The Navy has more than 325,000 active-duty members and more than 98,000 Ready Reserve members. The Navy fleet includes more than 280 deployable battle-force ships and a fleet of underwater search and recovery equipment, submarines, aircraft and unmanned systems, along with missiles.
“We want people to understand what we are and what we do,” Bynum said.
Bynum said he and his staff have enjoyed learning about Waco’s businesses and education opportunities. He said he has been impressed with how much Waco has grown since when he was a child and in past visits to the area.
“It’s been overwhelming and a warm welcome in every turn,” said Bynum.
Bynum was commissioned in 1985 through the National Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University of Oklahoma. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College and Armed Force Staff College. Bynum is a Georgetown University Capitol Hill Fellow.
On Saturday, April 7, and Sunday, April 8, the Heart of Texas Airshow takes flight at the TSTC Airport. Featured performers include the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Team and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Black Daggers Parachute Team, along with flights of the U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II and the U. S. Air Force’s Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, better known as the Stealth Bomber.
For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.
