Description

Join us for the annual Honor Recognition Luncheon on Monday, May 19th! This event, hosted by Wilkes-Barre Connect, brings together the community to honor and celebrate local veterans and veteran entrepreneurs in the Wyoming Valley. This event serves not only as a gesture of gratitude towards the contributions of our local veterans, but also as a means of support to those that are transitioning into the business world.

This year's keynote speaker is Moses West, Founder of AWG Contracting LLC and the Moses West Foundation.

Attendees can expect to enjoy a nice meal, honor those who have served our country, learn more about what this community offers for veterans, and connect with community leaders. During this event, we will also be awarding veteran entrepreneurs from the Wyoming Valley region with grants to advance their business ventures.

Meet our keynote speaker, Moses West!
Moses West is the founder and owner of AWG Contracting LLC and the Moses West Foundation, both of which are focused on producing advanced atmospheric water generators to extract water from atmosphere and create sustainable solutions to communities in need. He has an extensive background in the US Armed Forces, which has helped him to successfully deploy large water extraction units to Puerto Rico, Flint, Michigan, and Jackson, Mississippi. 

The Moses West Foundation has been involved in domestic projects to supply water to communities in need, including schools, neighborhoods, and for food production. Some of these projects include supplying water to eliminate the “food deserts” within the United States, through the development of sustainable agricultural production in urban areas, and the development of a water-saving irrigation system to help reduce the amount of water used in vertical grown food production.

Meet our Veteran Entrepreneur Video Highlight, Col. Robert J. Graham, USAF, Retired!
Col. Robert J. Graham, USAF, Retired, was raised in northern New Jersey and attended Upsala College before enlisting in the Air Force. After enlistment, he entered the Aviation Cadet Program, was commissioned, and was awarded his navigator wings in 1955. After serving as a Radar Observer in F-94Cs and F-101Bs, he entered pilot training and received his pilot wings in 1960. He then completed F-100 training and was assigned to Misawa A.B., Japan. 

Col. Graham volunteered for four combat tours in Vietnam and flew over five hundred combat missions. Bob’s first tour in Vietnam was in 1962 as a civilian advisor working for the Central Intelligence Agency. In his second tour in 1964, Bob flew the first strikes into North Vietnam as part of the “Rolling Thunder” operation. His third combat tour in 1966 was to Bien Hoa A.B., RVN. It was during his third tour, that Bob was awarded the Silver Star for providing close air support to an Army Firebase involved in Operation Birmingham while flying a severely damaged plane. After completing his third tour of duty and returning from Vietnam, he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics at the University of Nebraska. He went on to Luke AFB, Arizona, as an F-100 gunnery instructor for three years. That was followed by two years at Incirlik A.B., Turkey, working in the Middle East. Following his assignment in Turkey, he returned to Southeast Asia in 1972 for his fourth and final tour to fly the F-4E as the Commander of the 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Udorn A.B. Thailand. After this tour, he was assigned to the Pentagon as a strategic planner on the Air Staff and then to the Air War College. He graduated from the Air War College in 1976 while simultaneously earning his MBA from Auburn University. Upon graduation, he was assigned as Director of Programs at Air Force Logistics Command. Following that, he served at Osan A.B., Korea, as Deputy Commander for Operations in the 51st Wing flying the F-4E with the 36th TFS. His final assignment was Director of Programs for Air Forces Europe at Ramstein A.B., Germany. 

Col. Graham retired from the Air Force in 1982 and began a second career in the finance industry. He founded Riggs Asset Management Company in 1990. Today, Riggs is a multi-generational investment advisor that manages the wealth of affluent families worldwide. Col. Graham recently released his memoir “One of the Few: A True Account of Courage and Stepping into the Fight.” One of the Few was a Top 5 book release on Amazon.com and hailed as “A thrilling joyride through the life of a fighter pilot” by Kirkus Reviews.