MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- From supporting friends and family during deployments to devoting time to official functions and agencies, Airmen find a variety of ways to give back to the military and support their wingmen.
Here at Moody, one Airman has taken a big step in giving back to others. Senior Master Sgt. Jacoby Madden, 74th Fighter Generation Squadron weapons section chief, recently became the president of the Air Force and Space Force Association (AFA) in South Georgia.
“AFA is an awesome organization that bridges ties between military bases and the local community,” Jacoby said. “I think changing the presidency from a civilian to a military member benefits the organization more because I’m on both sides of the coin, where I have more access to leadership and people on base. If we’re holding events off base, I can give our military members more of an opportunity to get acquainted and embedded with the local community.”
Taking the reins from U.S. Air Force retired colonel Nick Lacey, Madden will lead the local AFA chapter, a non-profit designed to educate, advocate and support Airmen, Guardians and their families.
Throughout his 17 years as president, Lacey’s main focus was staying connected and in tune with the needs of Moody’s Airmen and their families. With support as his top priority, he helped build America’s technical force through several initiatives such as the Teacher-of-the-Year program, the Cyber Patriot competition and the StellerXplorer competition.
“Being the chapter president gave me an opportunity to continue to be involved with Air Force activities through AFA,” Lacey said. “As chapter president and co-chair of the South Georgia Military Affairs Council, I was involved in supporting Airmen’s spouse employment and expediting professional licensing. SGMAC was a local Chamber-of-Commerce activity that helped integrate local businesses in support of Moody Air Force Base.”
While the change in leadership can affect the way the chapter operates – both Lacey and Madden agree the change gives the chapter a chance at being truly integrated.
“As active duty, Madden has easier access to human resources, and I am confident he will really get the South Georgia Chapter moving to better support Moody Air Force Base Airmen and their families,” Lacey said. “I very much appreciate him stepping up to take leadership of this chapter – he’s just what AFA needs at this time.”
Jacoby’s first step to integrating more military members to AFA started with naming Senior Master Sgt. Patrice Welton, 23rd Maintenance Group maintenance training superintendent, as the vice president and Tech. Sgt. Jeffery Scott Jr., 23rd MXG quality assurance inspector, as the secretary.
“A lot of younger folks or ones that have just entered the Air Force, don’t even know about AFA,” he said. “I want to put it back on the radar because it's open to retirees, active duty and civilians and I want to start by talking with private orgs and getting the word out about AFA. I want to draw in more attention and then hopefully get more military members to sign up.”
After nearly two decades of serving AFA, Lacey is ready to pass the torch and Jacoby is ready to continue carrying out the legacy.
“I appreciate Mr. Lacey for keeping the doors open and being a driving force for AFA,” Jacoby said. “I’m excited to start this new chapter and glad I can give back to Moody and the community through this new endeavor.”