The Palm Springs Chapter of the Air & Space Forces Association proudly serves the greater Palm Springs area. The Chapter’s active program supports Air Force members of all ranks and grades, addresses Air Force issues in advancing aerospace technology and professional and personnel issues, and reaches out to the Coachella Valley community. Thank You!
Just a reminder that our Air Commandos Lunch is tomorrow, Wednesday, July 15, at 11:30 a.m. at ROC’s Firehouse Grille, 36891 Cook Street in Palm Desert.
The lunches are informal, friendly, no agenda, and a great opportunity to meet fellow members and guests over good food. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. Whether you’re a long-time member, a veteran, currently serving, or simply interested in aviation, military history, and the Air and Space Forces, we would enjoy having you join us.
If this will be your first time attending, you’re especially welcome.
Cyber Camp begins next week, and it is one of the most important programs our chapter conducts each year.
Its importance is reflected in the generous support we have received from our community, including a recent grant from the Anderson Children’s Foundation and previous funding from the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. Their confidence in our program is helping us prepare the next generation of cyber professionals and technology leaders.
Joining our members who will be staffing the camp—including Jim McFarlin, Tony Della-Moretta, and Jose Ramirez—I will also be there on TuesdayandFriday photographing the activities and documenting the week.
I would encourage our members to take some time during the week to stop by, see the program in action, and show your support for these outstanding students. The camp runs MondaythroughFriday, and the complete schedule is available on our website:
While you’re there, I also invite you to explore the website if you haven’t visited recently—or even in the past few days. We’ve added new sections, updated the calendar, and made a number of improvements. The site will continue to grow as we develop it into the central communication and information resource for our members, prospective members, and visitors.
AFA 2026 Summer Cyber Camp College of the Desert Information Technology Center July 13–17, 2026
The Air & Space Forces Association Palm Springs Chapter is excited to welcome students back for our annual Summer Cyber Camp.
One of the shining gems of our chapter’s Cyber Education program, this is far more than a summer camp. It is a week of hands-on learning designed to introduce high school students from across the Coachella Valley to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, teamwork, and the technology skills that will shape tomorrow’s workforce.
Students will receive instruction from College of the Desert faculty and cybersecurity professionals while participating in practical exercises and team competitions that mirror real-world cyber challenges.
Here’s what they’ll experience during the week:
Monday – July 13 (8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) The camp kicks off with California Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez, a Marine Corps veteran, who will discuss why technology knowledge has become a career superpower in today’s AI-driven world.
Tuesday – July 14 (9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Students will explore Artificial Intelligence in Action with College of the Desert Professor Felix Marhuenda-Donateand CSU San Bernardino Cybersecurity 4.0 graduate Jose Ramirez, learning how to build and use their own personal AI models.
Wednesday – July 15 (9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) One of the week’s highlights will be a virtual presentation by U.S. Air Force Captain Lauren Puseman, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and Cyber Operations Officer. A former La Quinta High School student and Summer Cyber Camp participant, Captain Puseman will share her journey from attending this very camp to serving in one of the Air Force’s critical cyber career fields. Her presentation will take place from 12:15 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Thursday – July 16 (9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Students will present the AI projects they have developed during the week as Professor Marhuenda-Donate and Jose Ramirez return to review their work and discuss the results.
Friday – July 17 (9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.) Graduation Day features team cyber competitions, awards, parents and families, and presentations by Indio High School Information Technology instructor Mark Brenner. Representatives from the offices of Congressmen Ken Calvert and Raul Ruiz will present Congressional Certificates to every camper before everyone celebrates with a well-earned pizza party.
Programs like our Summer Cyber Camp demonstrate the Air & Space Forces Association’s commitment to developing the next generation of cyber professionals and technology leaders. We look forward to another outstanding week of learning, teamwork, innovation, and discovery.
President’s 250th Anniversary Message AFA 134: Bridge to the Future
Dear AFA Palm Springs Members and Friends,
As we honor the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, I am struck by the unique and vital role our chapter plays in the Coachella Valley. More than just an organization, our AFA Palm Springs Chapter serves as a crucial bridge, one that spans generations, technology, and service.
On one side of this bridge stands our rich history and the engaging stories so many of you share about your service to our nation. We all share a deep reverence for the foundations laid by the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, and we carry the enduring values of service, integrity, and excellence that have always defined our nation’s defense.
On the other side of that bridge lies the future. The landscape of our national defense is rapidly shifting toward space, AI driven weapons systems, and cyber warfare. To meet these threats, our nation requires a new generation of dedicated, tech savvy minds.
Our mission as a chapter is to ensure that bridge remains unbreakable.
Through our cyber education programs, such as the Coachella Valley Cyber Cup Challenge and our upcoming hands on Cyber Camp this month, we aren’t just teaching students technical skills. We are helping strengthen our nation’s future defense by teaching teamwork and leadership, and by preparing the next generation to safeguard our space networks, our digital infrastructure, and the technologies that will shape tomorrow’s conflicts.
Every bit of support and advocacy our chapter invests in programs like these helps Coachella Valley students cross the bridge from today’s classrooms to tomorrow’s leadership. Thank you for your years of service, for honoring our past, and for actively supporting our efforts to help secure our nation’s future.
We’re probably still a few years, a few billion dollars, and perhaps a space program away from building something like this.
Many organizations have a building where they display photographs, squadron memorabilia, and aircraft artwork. While we don’t have a permanent chapter hangar, we do have something just as accessible… our website.
Do you have one or two photographs from your military service? Your career in aviation? Were you an airline pilot, aircraft mechanic, air traffic controller, aerospace engineer, airport employee, Civil Air Patrol member, or simply someone who has loved airplanes your entire life? Maybe your career took you in a completely different direction, but aviation has always been one of your passions. We’d love to preserve and share your photographs and your story.
Digital photographs are welcome, but don’t worry if your memories are still tucked away in albums or boxes. If you have prints, slides, or negatives, simply bring them to one of our Air Commandos Lunches or another chapter event. I’ll professionally scan them, return the originals to you, and prepare them for our Virtual Hangar.
When you submit your photograph or photographs, please include as much information as you can about them, such as who is in the photograph, the aircraft, location, approximate date, squadron or organization, and the story behind the image. Even if you don’t know all of the details, don’t let that stop you. Every photograph helps preserve a small part of our shared history.
Or bring your prints, slides, or negatives to one of our chapter gatherings, and I’ll scan them and promptly return the originals.
If you’ve previously given a presentation to our chapter, I probably already have the photographs and information you shared. I’ll begin building our Virtual Hangar with those, and I hope everyone else will add one or two photographs of their own to help it grow.
Just a reminder that our Air Commandos Lunch is tomorrow, Wednesday, July 1, at 11:30 a.m. at ROC’s Firehouse Grille, 36891 Cook Street in Palm Desert.
The lunches are informal, friendly, no agenda, and a great opportunity to meet fellow members and guests over good food. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. Whether you’re a long-time member, a veteran, currently serving, or simply interested in aviation, military history, and the Air and Space Forces, we would enjoy having you join us.
If this will be your first time attending, you’re especially welcome.
We hope to see you tomorrow!
If you’d like to learn how these lunches began and why they have become such a popular tradition for us, read The Story Behind Our Air Commandos Lunch. Thanks!
Our Air Commandos Lunches began during the COVID years as a simple way for members and friends to get together when many of our normal activities had come to a halt. The idea was straightforward. Pick a local restaurant, have lunch, enjoy good conversation, and keep people connected.
ROC’s Firehouse Grille in Palm Desert became the gathering place.
The name “Air Commandos” was chosen completely in jest. It was a satirical nickname for an unofficial lunch gathering, and somehow it stuck.
We are, of course, fully aware that there are real Air Commandos. They are the highly trained Airmen of the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, carrying out demanding missions around the world.
Our Air Commandos have a very different mission.
We specialize in hamburgers, sandwiches, coffee, adult beverages, solving the world’s problems, and occasionally telling stories that improve with every retelling.
In a way, our lunches remind me of the famous Algonquin Round Table, the legendary gathering of writers, actors, critics, and humorists who met almost daily at New York City’s Algonquin Hotel from 1919 through 1929. Their conversations became famous for their wit, opinions, storytelling, and friendships. While our lunches certainly do not claim that kind of literary history, they share something just as important. Good conversation and the enjoyment of spending time with interesting people.
Many of our guest speaker ideas, community partnerships, and lasting friendships can trace their beginnings to conversations around those lunch tables. There is something about sharing a meal that encourages people to relax, exchange ideas, and simply enjoy one another’s company. There are no agendas, no speeches, and no formal programs. Just lunch and conversation.
Everyone is welcome. You do not have to be an Air & Space Forces Association member to attend.
We usually meet every other Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at ROC’s Firehouse Grille in Palm Desert. Current dates are always posted on the Calendar page here on our website. If you would like to confirm a date or have any questions, simply email us at AFAPalmSprings@outlook.com
We hope you’ll join us at a future Air Commandos Lunch. Pull up a chair, order your favorite lunch, and become part of the conversation. Thanks!
Many AFA Palm Springs Chapter 134 members have asked, “Why are we expending resources on a topic that seems removed from airpower?”
The answer lies in the vision of Gen. H.H. “Hap” Arnold, who recognized that airpower requires a technologically literate force. That requirement is even more critical today, as technology now fundamentally shapes how we work, live, learn, communicate, and conduct modern warfare.
To maintain our status as the world’s dominant military power, we must cultivate cyber proficient professionals capable of navigating an era defined by AI driven drones, sophisticated cyberattacks, and advanced weapons systems.
We cannot wait until students enter the U.S. Air Force to build these skills. Through our chapter’s support for CyberPatriot teams, summer cyber camps, and industry field trips, we are helping students develop essential cyber technology expertise early.
Our vision is to build a sustainable pipeline of 100 to 150 students from middle school through college. By preparing them to enter the workforce, we are helping address the national shortage of more than 460,000 cybersecurity jobs across industry, government, and the military. That is a vital contribution to our national security.
At the same time, we are introducing the Air & Space Forces Association to organizations throughout the Coachella Valley that previously had little understanding of who we are or what we do. Our recent award of a $20,000 Cyber Education Grant from the Anderson Children’s Foundation is clear recognition of the value and importance of these efforts to our community.
In future posts, we will explore the origins of our chapter’s cyber education program, its expansion into a Coachella Valley wide initiative, and how our programs help transform local students into technology proficient teams. We will also discuss how you, as an AFA member, can play a role in this important mission. Thank You!
About the Author
James (Jim) McFarlin is President of the Air & Space Forces Association Palm Springs Chapter 134. He leads the chapter’s growing Cyber Education initiative, working with schools, industry, and community partners throughout the Coachella Valley to develop the next generation of cyber professionals and strengthen America’s future workforce.
The Air & Space Forces Association has introduced something completely new.
For the first time, AFA now offers a free Mission Membership. This new membership makes it easier than ever for anyone with an interest in our Air Force, Space Force, aerospace, aviation, STEM education, or national security to become part of the AFA community. Again, membership is open to everyone.
Mission Membership provides access to AFA news, educational programs, webinars, research, national events, and local Chapter activities. Whether you have served in the military, work in aerospace, are a student, educator, or simply support the mission of the Air & Space Forces Association, there is now a place for you in AFA at absolutely no cost.
This is also a tremendous opportunity for AFA Palm Springs Chapter 134.
Every new member strengthens our Chapter and helps us expand our educational programs, CyberPatriot, community outreach, aerospace education, and partnerships throughout the Coachella Valley. The more members we have, the more we can accomplish.
If you are already an AFA member, thank you for your continued support.
If you know someone who has ever thought about joining AFA, now is the perfect time. Invite your family, friends, neighbors, fellow veterans, active duty military, educators, students, pilots, aviation enthusiasts, and anyone interested in aerospace and our nation’s defense.
When completing your registration, please be sure to select Palm Springs Chapter 134. That simple step helps strengthen our local Chapter and ensures you receive information about our activities, meetings, educational programs, and special events.
It costs nothing.
It only takes a few minutes.
We look forward to welcoming many new members to AFA Palm Springs Chapter 134.
The City of Palm Springs Department of Parks & Recreation invites the community to join in honoring all veterans and active service members this Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at Downtown Park (Museum Way & Belardo Road).
The evening begins with a complimentary dinner at 5 PM, followed by a concert at 7 PM featuring the K-Tel All-Stars — a celebration of music, camaraderie, and gratitude. This annual Veterans Day event is a meaningful way for the Palm Springs community to come together in appreciation of those who have served our nation in uniform. The Air & Space Forces Association Palm Springs Chapter encourages you to share this moment of thanks, and to remember that the freedoms we enjoy each day were secured by the dedication and sacrifice of our veterans.
