General Despinoy to speak in Wabash Published May 18, 2007 By Tech. Sgt. Doug Hays 434th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Brig. Gen. Dean J. Despinoy, 434th Air Refueling Wing commander, will be the featured speaker at the May 22 meeting of the Wabash Kiwanis Club. The meeting is scheduled for noon May 22 at the Honeywell Center in Wabash, Ind. General Despinoy's presentation will focus on current events at Grissom and the base's impact on the local area. Grissom is home to the 434th Air Refueling Wing, the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. The wing and its people routinely deploy around the world in support of various Air Force missions. Grissom is also one of the largest employers in the area and has an annual economic impact in excess of $86 million. General Despinoy started his military career in 1969, entering the Navy and serving on board both conventional and nuclear fast attack submarines as an electronics technician. He left the Navy and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University. He was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force in 1977 as a distinguished graduate of the Notre Dame University Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He served in many positions within Strategic Air Command, transferring to the Air Force Reserve Command in 1987. General Despinoy served on the Jeddah Saudi Arabia Battle Staff during Desert Storm, commanded several deployed units in Turkey, France and Spain during contingency operations and served as the Deputy Director of Mobility Forces during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He is a command pilot with more than 4,300 flying hours.
