Tim LaBarge, who joined the Air Force in 1983 and has commanded the 5,800-member New York Air National Guard since 2018, had his stars pinned on his shoulders by his wife Petra and daughter Emily.

There was a contingent of Tupper Lakers at the ceremony at the New York National Guard headquarters in Latham, where Maj. Gen. Raymond Shields promoted LaBarge. Shields is the adjutant general for New York, in charge of mobilizing troops, and LaBarge is the deputy to the adjutant general.

LaBarge’s other daugher, Lyndsay Malcomb, and her husband Jacob Malcomb were also attending, as were his mother and father Sue and Bob LaBarge.

Jim Frenette Sr., LaBarge’s uncle, family friend William Maroun, Tom and Barbara McCarthy, Joe Kahn and Tupper Lake village Mayor Paul Maroun also attended.

"It’s an honor to have a general from Tupper Lake; to have a two-star general is quite an honor," Maroun said.

Maroun said LaBarge has flown planes around the world, including in Afghanistan and Antarctica.

"He used to fly once in a while over Tupper Lake, and it would look just like a cloud came over the horizon," said Maroun, a military veteran. "Some generals that I’ve known, (they’re) a little crusty," Maroun said. "This guy … he’s really just the nicest guy."