AAAA President MG (Ret.) Walter Golden (right) and LTG Dave Francis, Commanding General, United States Army Center for Initial Military Training induct 105-year-old WW II veteran and former Army L4 crew chief Dominic Critelli into the Silver Honorable Order of St. Michael.
Our 2026 AAAA Annual Warfighting Summit in Nashville April 15-17 was INCREDIBLE! The four pillars of AAAA; Networking, Recognition, Voice and Support were evident in everything that was presented. I wish each and every one of our 20,000+ members could have shared the experience.
This was the biggest AAAA Summit ever! Measured by every metric from registration and industry participation to international attendance and AAAA Chapter leadership participation, it was the best ever! But what was even more important, I think, was that it was also the most effective ever!
I make this effectiveness assessment based on the presentations, the discussions they generated, and the exchange of ideas among our Army Aviation family, including acquisition, research and development, drones, special operations, future concepts and maintenance and sustainment.
The focus on warfighting brought everyone together in a networking environment that I am sure will lead to real world results and effects for our Soldiers.
From the heartfelt Keynote from the Under Secretary of the Army, Michael Obadal, a retired Colonel and Army Aviator himself, to the “Rockstar of the 2026 Summit”, 105 year old WWII veteran and Army L-4 Piper Cub crew Chief, SSG Dominic Critelli, who played the National Anthem on his soprano saxophone for the presentation of the colors in the opening ceremony, it was an INCREDIBLE event! Highlighting our “Recognition pillar”, you will see in the photo wrap up of the Summit starting on page 40 of this issue, that we inducted three amazing heroes into the Army’s Aviation Hall of Fame and presented all the National unit and individual awards.
We started with those from the AAAA-sponsored Army Best Drone Warfighting Competition awards back in February and proceeded through Department of the Army Civilian (DAC), Crew Chief, Soldier, Aviator and ARNG, USAR, Active and overall Outstanding Unit, among others. What a treasure it was to hear young Soldiers’ humble acceptance remarks. It made us all realize once again why the U.S. Army is the greatest land warfare force in the world.
Special thanks to Aviation Branch Chief, MG Clair Gill, as well as the other members of the Army Aviation General Officer Steering Committee (GOSC), for all they and their teams did to make sure the program was worthwhile and tracked with Army leadership intent. Special thanks to the Undersecretary of the Army for not only presenting an inspirational keynote address, but then all the time he spent visiting with Soldiers, attending events like the Hall of Fame and visiting with Industry Partners on the exhibit floor.
Additional thanks and appreciation to our exceptional AAAA National Staff, especially Bill Harris, Janis Arena, Laura Arena, Chelsea Jarvis, Art Agnew and Joanne Hansrote, the National Executive Group and Board and our stand-in “Voice of God”, Michael Dudley, who performed his announcer duties flawlessly, and on short notice!
All that above being said, we are not resting on our laurels. We have already held one in-progress review (IPR) on-site for next year’s Summit, May 5-7, 2027 in Kansas City, MO. As a result of the tremendous success of this year’s Summit in Nashville, I am pleased to report that the exhibit hall in Kansas City is already 80% sold for 2027.
Finally, your six-member AAAA National Executive Group (NEG) is headed to AAAA Headquarters in Connecticut in June for our annual meeting to ensure that we remain “on course, on glidepath” for the next year as well as assessing how we have done over the last 12 months. This in-person strategy session has proved invaluable to the success of our organization over the years and ensures AAAA remains relevant and effective in its support of Army Aviation Soldiers and Families!
Above the Best!
MG Wally Golden, U.S. Army Retired
37th President, AAAA
walter.golden@quad-a.org
