News and Events
3/19/11:
BBL contribution expanding Military Courtesy Room space at airport
By TERRY BROWN Special to the Times Union
Work on expanding the 200-square foot John J. McKenna, IV Military Courtesy Room at the Albany International Airport in Colonie has begun.
"The room will be expanded to accommodate the high volume of military personnel now using the facility," said Doug Myers, airport spokesman.
The expansion will more than double the room size to 430 square feet.
More than 3,500 military personnel and their families have found comfort as they utilized the Military Room and services before and between flights since it opened in March of 2010.
The construction of the expanded Military Room began on March 13. The room expansion will be completed within a week to 10 days, according top Myers. The total cost of the expansion is estimated at $50,000, he added.
"The cost of the labor and materials to be used in the expansion of the Military Courtesy Room expansion is being donated by BBL Construction Services and their sub contractors," said David E. Langdon, chairman of the Albany County Airport Authority. "Donald Led Duke, the late chairman of BBL had a strong commitment to the nation's military and his legacy will live on within the Military Courtesy Room.
The John J. McKenna IV Military Courtesy Room is located on the third floor of the Airport's terminal. The room is staffed by more than 140 volunteers and offers light refreshments, snacks and a welcoming atmosphere to all military personnel and their families. The room is equipped with cable TV, DVD, video games and both phone and e-mail service.
The initial concept for a Military Courtesy Room was presented to the Airport Authority by John McKenna III of Clifton Park, whose son, Marine Reserve Capt. John McKenna, IV, of Clifton Park, was killed on Aug. 16, 2006 in Fallujah, Iraq.
"We were immediately impressed by what a tremendous service and comfort that the Courtesy Room and its volunteers are able to provide in such a limited space," said BBL's Vice President Jonathan deForest. "We knew we could do our part to make it even better. We all need to ensure that the men and women serving our country know how much we appreciate the sacrifices they make each day."
Subcontractors that will be donating their services include Collett Mechanical, Carey Electric, The Competitive Advantage Group, Stuart Painting, MMC Millwork, Flooring Environment, Towne TV, RBM Guardian Fire Protection, Kamco Supply, and Gilhooley Designs.
1/22/11: 3,500 troops find comfort in McKenna IV Military Courtesy Room.
By TERRY BROWN Special To The Times Union
Published: 12:00 a.m., Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Marine Capt. John McKenna IV Military Courtesy Room at Albany International Airport needs room to expand and a few more good volunteers.
More than 3,500 troops have found comfort there since the room first opened last March on the third floor near the Observation Deck, said Janet Moran of Schenectady, volunteer coordinator and president of New York Chapter 2 of Blue Star Mothers of America.
The room is equipped with recliners, chairs, tables, a TV, DVDs and DVD player, a radio, refrigerator, microwave, video games, a coffee maker, phones, snacks and drinks for troops. The 200-square-foot room is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. When flights at the airport in Colonie are delayed or canceled, lodging and other assistance also are available.
The room commemorates McKenna, who was killed in Iraq in 2006 while trying to save Lance Cpl. Michael Glover. Both Marines died while serving with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines, a reserve unit from Albany. As a civilian, the captain was a state trooper who often patrolled at the airport.
John McKenna III, the captain's father and room director, and Albany County Sheriff Office Lt. Douglas Buzzard, led efforts to establish the room.
"In the beginning, we thought we'd accommodate about 500 troops a year," Al Siegel of Latham, an MCR volunteer and retired Presbyterian minister, said.
"Sometimes, there are so many military personnel in the room, there is no room for volunteers," said Donna Burns of Guilderland.
On Jan. 2, the MCR couldn't accommodate the more than 100 troops returning to their units after holiday leaves, Moran said. Airport officials allowed the volunteers to use a business office.
McKenna III said he expects airport officials to announce plans to expand the room in the spring. The Albany County Airport Authority recognizes the need for more space and is looking into expanding the room, said Doug Myers, airport spokesman.
More volunteers are needed, according to Moran, who schedules more than 100 volunteers to perform one four-hour shift every other week and trains volunteers.
Volunteers include representatives of Blue Star Mothers, William Dale O'Brien Marine Corps Detachment, Zaloga American, Legion Post, Tri-County Council Vietnam Era Veterans, other veterans groups, Daughters of the American Revolution and individuals/
"We need more volunteers to cover those who miss shifts because of illness, family medical emergencies, vacations, job changes and other reasons," said Moran, a retired Ellis Hospital nurse.
Volunteers, who work in pairs, meet, greet and guide the troops to the room and keep it clean and stocked and assist with flight arrangements.
Burns and her teammate, Kari Collins, of Rensselaer, are "huggers and nurturers."
"We make sweeps through the airport to find soldiers and let them know the room is open for their comfort," Burns said.
"I have a soft spot for military families and military personnel," Burns added. "I want to show gratitude and respect."
Her dad is Daniel J. Burns, who served in the Marines during World War II. Her brother Patrick also served in the Marines, and brother Daniel is an Army vet.
Siegel, who also serves as an airport ambassador, one of a group of red-jacketed volunteers who guide travelers, said being an MCR volunteer gives him a chance to serve his nation as he comforts troops.
He also is a chaplain at the Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Albany.
Cookie Turchick Sears of Latham, a retired state Assembly worker, and Jackie Pillsworth of Glenmont, have been volunteers since last year when they responded to a request for MCR volunteers during a meeting of the Mohawk Chapter of the DAR. Cookie says the duty is a rewarding experience.
"We are proud of the room," said Burns as volunteers comforted Army Sgt. 1st Class Vernell Butler of New Orleans, and Spc. Norman Lee Clark Jr. of Vanceberg, Ky., both members of the 10th Mountain Division's 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, who were returning to Afghanistan. "It's a great place for the soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors to pass time as they wait for flights.
"We value and care for what they do for us," Burns said. "It's an honor to serve those who serve."
Anyone interested in being a volunteer can contact Moran at 399-7341, 242-4415 or visit http://jmckennamilitarycourtesyroom.org for information.
From WTEN 1/18/11: COLONIE, N.Y. -- The ground floor of the Albany International Airport is as empty as expected after a day like Tuesday. The winter weather has left many stranded for the night, including a group striving to be America's bravest.
Seven men and women should be at their first night of boot camp, but instead, they're stuck on the third floor of Albany's airport, right outside the Captain John McKenna IV military courtesy room.
"It's kind of cool; playing cards, eating pizza," said Axton Parker, originally from the Thousand Islands area. "It's not exactly what I expected the first night."
Armed with those playing cards and cots, the group was supposed to fly out earlier in the day, until the pilot told them Mother Nature had other plans.
"We knew we were trying to beat the weather," said Ian Dugan, from Galway. "We were excited. We got as far as the plane, and then he's just telling us we couldn't move and i was like ‘figures.'"
Normally, the McKenna room would put these seven up at the Marriott, but there are no more vacancies. So, the volunteers decided to extend the services of the military courtesy room, leaving it open overnight for the first time ever.
The room has seen more than 3,500 military members pass through since March.
"We don't want military personnel laying on the floors, we don't want them sleeping in chairs," said volunteer Justine Crowley-Duncan. "Accommodating them and giving back to them for what they're doing to us, it's just huge, it's huge."
Some enjoying the experience so much, they joked about making a return visit.
"It was a little weird at first, but it was fun," said Marisa Taylor of Mayfield. "I enjoyed it. I'd do it again."
While it's fun and games for the night, they're not forgetting their ultimate goal: becoming a member of the armed forces.
"I can't wait to get going tomorrow," said Parker.
The military members were hoping to catch their 6 a.m. flight, before heading to destinations like Oklahoma City and St. Louis.
12/9/2010:
Capt. John J. McKenna IV Honored At Airport
A portrait of fallen Marine Captain John McKenna was given to his family during a ceremony at the Albany International Airport on Thursday. The piece is by artist Phil Taylor.
For more information about The American Fallen Soldiers Project, click here
CBS 6 video | YNN Albany (video) |
11/24/10:
Program to provide troops stranded at Albany International Airport with extra comfortsBy KATIE NOWAK, For The Saratogian
ALBANY — Getting stuck overnight in the airport is a headache many travelers may face this holiday weekend, but it’s one that members of the military flying to and from Albany International Airport will be able to avoid.
In a partnership with the BBL Family of Companies, which owns a string of hotels throughout the region, the Albany County Airport Authority announced Tuesday a stranded service personnel program that will allow men and women in the military whose flights get delayed or cancelled to stay for free at — and get complimentary transport to and from — the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy.
The airport already offers some extra comfort to servicemen and servicewomen through the John J. McKenna IV Military Courtesy Room, which provides a quiet place to relax, grab a snack or grab some shut eye while waiting for a flight. Since it opened in May of this year, nearly 3,000 soldiers and their families have passed through its door, and the airport is planning an expansion sometime in the near future to meet growing demand.
The collaboration between the two entities came in part thanks to the efforts of Leslie Miller, director of sales for BBL’s Saratoga Marriott and the mother of the late Pfc. David Taylor Miller, the Saratoga Springs man who was killed in Afghanistan in June. Taylor was honored Tuesday with a plaque that will hang on the wall of the courtesy room.
McKenna’s father, John McKenna III, said the loss of his son, killed while serving with the Marines in Iraq in 2006, was devastating. Looking for a way to mitigate his grief, McKenna was approached by some community members about building a courtesy room at the Albany Airport.
“I came up here and I saw soldiers and Marines sleeping on the cold floor and said, ‘We just can’t have that for the members of our military who spend months and years out of their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan,’” McKenna recalled.
Through a tremendous community effort, the courtesy room was born, and is sustained by a host of volunteers.
Also looking to mitigate her family’s grief, Miller approached McKenna about participating with the room, and hatched the plan to involve BBL and provide the free hotel stays to stranded men and women of the military.
Miller’s involvement was an “incredible blessing,” McKenna said, proving that “we are really one big family, one community.”
Miller said that her son was impressed by similar services provided by the USO at airports around the country, telling her he enjoyed the snacks and the camaraderie of his fellow servicemen. As she saw him off in April for his deployment, he told her there would soon be a courtesy room in this very airport, a possibility she said made him feel gratified.
"I know he would be really happy to see we’ve done the USO maybe one better here,” she said.
Though the family is still feeling his absence, Miller said she is hopeful that some good will come from it, especially a scholarship program in his honor, which is set to start in the fall of 2011. Taylor read Caeser’s “Gaelic Wars” in high school, Miller said, which contained the quote, “It’s better to create than to learn. Creating is the essence of life.”
“I believe that’s happening here,” Miller said. “Our loss is the creation of something meaningful through the generosity of (BBL) and the stranded service personnel program. Taylor spent 19 wonderful years with us, and we mourn that loss every day. But we also honor Taylor’s memory, not in sorrow, but through creation.”
11/23/2010:
BBL/Military Courtesy Room Stranded Military Personnel Program
In a partnership with the BBL Family of Companies, which owns a string of hotels throughout the region, the Albany County Airport Authority announced Tuesday a stranded service personnel program.
Troy Record (article w/video)
YNN (article w/video)
4/28/2010:
Grand Opening Ceremony
We held our grand opening on Wednesday, April 28th at 11:00 AM. The ceremony was held on the third floor observation area next to the MCR. If you have any questions, please contact us through the Contact Page or e-mail.
4/28/2010:
SIT, RELAX BETWEEN FLIGHTS IN MCKENNA COURTESY ROOM
Hundreds of troops have already taken advantage of the Capt. John J. McKenna IV Military Courtesy Room at the Albany International Airport in Colonie ahead of its official grand opening Wednesday...(more)