NEW YORK - New York Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Mayra Winnie belted out “God Bless America” in front of 41,996 people.
Winnie, the personal and development superintendent for the New York Air National Guard’s headquarters detachment, performed as part of the New York Yankees Military Appreciation Day game Aug. 10.
Getting to sing in Yankee Stadium before thousands of people was “like a dream,” Winnie said.
“I’m from Amsterdam (New York). We don’t normally get to do things like that,” she said.
Winnie’s performance of Irving Berlin’s classic song, made famous in World War II by singer Kate Smith, came during the 7th inning stretch of a game between the Yankees and the Texas Rangers.
Winnie’s husband, Air Guard Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Winnie, daughters Riley, Reagan and Mia, and other family members watched as she stood behind home plate and sang.
Winnie’s trip to Yankee Stadium started when she and other Air Guard headquarters personnel were brainstorming ways to raise awareness of the New York Air National Guard. Winnie said the New York Air Guard has five wings at five bases and is the largest in the country, but most New Yorkers aren’t aware of it.
Lt. Col. Kristen Gibson, the New York Air Guard recruiting officer, said she started looking for opportunities to do something with the Yankees when Maj. Gen. Denise Donnell, then the New York Air Guard commander, introduced her to Capt. Steve Palladino from the 105th Airlift Wing.
Palladino introduced her to people in Yankees marketing, and they began discussing ways the New York Air Guard could support the team and get some visibility.
The first opportunity was on July 20, when a New York Air National Guard Color Guard took part in an opening ceremony.
Gibson said the second opportunity came when the Yankees asked Palladino if the New York Air Guard could find an Airman to sing “God Bless America.”
Winnie volunteered.
Winnie, named the Air Force Support Senior Noncommissioned Officer for the year for the entire Air National Guard this spring, joined the Air Guard in 2005. She served as an intelligence specialist before holding administrative positions in the 109th Airlift Wing. The wing, based outside Schenectady, flies the ski-equipped version of the C-130 and routinely conducts missions in Antarctica and Greenland.
Winnie honed her singing skills while being part of the 109th Airlift Wing’s worship team. While deployed to Qatar, she sang at church services. At home in Schenectady, Winnie is the video director for Bethel Full Gospel Church in Rotterdam.
While she is a confident singer, Winnie said she still took two voice lessons to prepare for her Yankee Stadium gig.
Gibson said getting a New York Air National Guard Airman up on the Jumbotron in Yankee Stadium was great exposure. Winnie’s performance was also broadcast nationally.
“I saw it in Florida,” Gibson said.