The Army Aviation Association of America has announced the appointment of retired Army Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Konitzer as its new president. Konitzer replaces outgoing AAAA president Maj. Gen. Andy Andreson, (Ret.) who has served since 2003.

Brig. Gen. Konitzer, who's an AAAA life member and a Gold Award recipient of the Order of Saint Michael, joined the Association in 1968. He has served the association in many capacities, including as a past president of the Phantom Corps Chapter. He has served on National Executive Board since 1999, first as one of the NEB vice presidents from 1999 to 2001, then as Secretary-Treasurer from 2001 to 2003. Most recently he served as the Senior Vice President from 2003 to 2005.

AAAA also announced that retired Maj. Gen. James R. Snider and retired Brig. Gen. Rodney D. Wolfe are the new Senior Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Association.

Tom Konitzer was born in 1943 in Chicago, Ill., and graduated from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn. He holds a Master of Science Degree from Shippensburg University, Pa. In 1966 he enlisted in the Army and was commissioned upon completion of Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga.

Brig. Gen. Konitzer's commands include Headquarters and Headquarters Company, K Troop, the Regimental Combined Arms Training Troop, and the Air Cavalry Troop twice, with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Lewis, Wash., and Fort Bliss, Texas. He commanded the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cay. Regt. in Amberg, Germany, as well as the 6th Cavalry Brigade (Air Combat), Fort Hood, Texas.

His other assignments include combat service with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam, and as a cease-fire observer with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization serving in Israel and Syria. As a Squadron S3 and Executive Officer of the 3rd Armored Cay. Regt.; Secretary of the General Staff for the V Corps in Germany; and two tours in the Pentagon with the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army, and as the Deputy for the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff Operations, Plans, and Strategy—Force Development.

His General Officer assignments include as the Assistant Commandant and Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Aviation Center and School, Fort Rucker, Ala.; as the Assistant Division Commander (Support) and then ADC (Operations) of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; and Commanding General, 1st Region (ROTC) and the U.S. Army Cadet Command. His last position was as the Director of Army Safety and Commanding General, U.S. Army Safety Center at Fort Rucker.

Brig. Gen. Konitzer's military education includes rotary-wing flight training; Armor Officer Advanced Course; Command and General Staff College; Army War College, and Advanced Management Program with the University of Chicago, Ill.

Konitzer's military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service medal with two OLCs, Air Medal with 20 OLCs, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service medal with Bronze Star, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with three Bronze Stars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Medal, Master Army Aviator Badge, Army General Staff Identification Badge, and Air Assault Badge.

Brig. Gen. Konitzer is the President of TJKonsulting in Augusta, Ga. He and his wife Judy reside in Augusta, and together have 7 children and 5 grandchildren.

Maj. Gen. Jim Snider previously served as the Association's Secretary-Treasurer. He is a 1970 graduate of the United States Military Academy and served 32 years with the U.S. Army. A senior Army Aviator, Snider served in many critical positions including: Product Manager for the Longbow Apache, Program Manager for Apache, Program Manager for the RAH-66 Comanche, and as the Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Aviation. His fmal Army assignment was at Army Materiel Command headquarters as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Research, Development and Acquisition. Today, Dr. Snider is the director of the Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and a professor in the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Brig. Gen. Rod Wolfe has served as an Association Vice President. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska, receiving his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1958. A 30-year veteran of the Army including two tours in Vietnam, Wolfe has served in key positions such as Deputy Commanding General/Assistant Commandant of the U.S. Army Aviation Center; Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Recruiting Command; and Commander of the 101st Aviation Group, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Today Wolfe is the manager of the Fort Rucker Field Office, Army Aviation Business Development, with the Raytheon Company in Alabama.

AAAA is a nonprofit association formed to advance the knowledge, efficiency and overall esprit of those engaged professionally in U.S. Army aviation. The organization's 15,000 members are drawn from the active Army, Army Reserves and National Guard, the federal civil service, the aerospace and defense industries, and from a variety of other military and civilian support groups.

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