Montgomery Rotary Club Hosts 27th Annual International Night
Air Force officials from all around the world spent the night mingling with Montgomery’s military and business communities, at the 27th Annual International Night, hosted by the Montgomery Rotary Club. They’ve traveled to the capitol city to train at Maxwell Air Force Base, but for one night took a break to celebrate each other.
“We really celebrate the color of life and all you have to do is look around look at these beautiful women and men in their native country clothing celebrating the fact that we can do more together than we can apart” says Lieutenant General Steven Kwast, Commander of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base.
The U.S. State Dept. invites the best and brightest military minds from about 70 different countries to attend the training.
“I am the first woman to come here to Maxwell from my country.” says Mchidza Bwakya from Zambia.
After the year is up, they’ll return home and many will go on to become ambassadors or high-ranking military officials. But the hope is that they leave with more than just training.
“Someday there will be a crisis in our world and the friendships that are forged tonight will be people that know their presidents their prime ministers and their kings, and they will know each other and when the president prime ministers and kings are not able to talk to each other because of politics the military will and they’ll go to their leader and say.. You need to stop or you need to do this, that’s what these friendships turn into” explains Kwast.
Many officers also bring their families, and the rotary club helps to host these families throughout their year in the capital city.
