Airstream Magazine - Youngstown Air Reserve Station

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PersonalityProfileInstallationCommanderColonelJamesDignanStory by Eric M. WhiteAs a four-year-old, a boy namedJames took his first airplane trip,flying on an American AirlinesDC-10 aircraft. He flew from Los Angelesto Detroit to see his grandparents. Thattrip ignited a love for aviation that wouldeventually lead James to become U.S. AirForce Reserve Colonel James D. Dignan,commander of the 910th Airlift Wing,Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. Asthe commander, he directs the training andreadiness of more than 1,600 Air ForceReservists, manages more than 400 civilianemployees and controls the operation ofnine C-130H Hercules tactical cargo aircraftassigned to the wing.Dignan was looking for an interestingand motivating career. He’d beeninterested in aviation most of his life, sohe searched for the best pilots and trainingopportunities. This led him to the U.S.military.Dignan was commissioned throughthe U.S. Navy Aviation Officer CandidateSchool at NAS Pensacola, Fla., and receivedhis wings of gold at NAS Corpus Christi,Texas. He has served as an officer andpilot in the U.S. Navy, Air National Guardand for the most recent 16 years, the AirForce Reserve. As a command pilot, he hasmore than 6,500 hours in trainer, patrol,reconnaissance and airlift aircraft.According to his official biography,Dignan has flown more than 100 hurricanepenetration missions in the WC-130H. Hehas also flown combat and combat-supportmissions throughout the Balkans, the Hornof Africa and Southwest Asia.For Dignan, coming to YARS is a greatopportunity.“Youngstown always had a greatreputation and getting here and finallygetting to meet the people… I see why,”said Dignan, “It’s a very close close-knitfamily.”As a leader, Dignan sees taking care ofpeople as mission critical, noting that thereare many ways to do that.“We have to help folks with theirreadiness and readiness has many tiers:it’s personal health, mental health, healthyfamilies, healthy work environments,”Dignan said. “We have some greatpeople. It’s my job to help identify andhelp point out and help recognize thoseindividuals that go above and beyond. It’s apretty easy job really.”Accountability is also a paradigm ofDignan’s leadership style.“Each one of us has to be heldaccountable, accountable to the taxpayer,accountable to each other and of courseaccountable to the rules and regulations,the AFIs and the guidance from the AirForce and DoD,” he said. “If we all do thatand live by the mantra ‘treat others as youwant to be treated, it all takes care of itself.I’ll always come back to the bottom line:What do the regulations say, what is theprecedence and what is the right thing todo?”Dignan sees the sense of family asYARS’s greatest asset, and he looks forwardto building upon that during his tenure aswing commander.“I would like to expand that sense offamily beyond so that everyone in theMahoning Valley knows what we all knowinside these gates; that this is the hardestworking group of folks in Eastern OH, andwe’ve got real synergies here,” Dignan said,“I want to draw in more of the communitywhether it’s over in Western Penn. orEastern Ohio to draw on the strengths andcapabilities we have here.”Apart from work, Dignan is a familyman. When he leaves the base each day, hisjob is to just be ‘dad.’ Working a lot is partof the job, but Dignan made a promise tohis three young girls a long time ago that hewouldn’t bring work home. At YARS, he isColonel Dignan; at home, he’s simply ‘dad.’Dignan, in fact, attributes his career asan Air Force colonel and base commanderto his family.“The only reason I’m still serving; theonly reason I’m here today is because mywife continues to support me doing this,”said Dignan. “I reached a point about tenyears ago where I was ready to leave theART program and ready to retire and leavethe Reserve. She enjoys being part of afamily that is involved in something largerthan us, and it’s a big commitment and abig sacrifice on their part.”Despite stepping into a commander roleduring a year when words like sequestrationand furlough are common, Dignan looksforward to continued mission excellenceand building the YARS family.U.S. Air Force Reserve Maj. Gen. Wallace W. “Wade” Farris, commander of 22nd Air Force, prepares for achange of command ceremony March 2, 2013 here, while 910th Airlift Wing interim commander, Brig. Gen.Brian Dominguez, incoming 910th AW commander Col. James D. Dignan and 910th AW command chief Troy K.Rhoades salute him. Dignan comes to the 910th AW from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., where he served ascommander of the 446th Operations Group. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Matt MatulkaAirstream Magazine, 1st Quarter, 201314www.youngstown.afrc.af.mil
Col. James D. Dignan is commander of the 446thOperations Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Heis responsible for the supervision and leadership of a flyinggroup with more than 650 members; the group consistsof three airlift squadrons, an aeromedical evacuationsquadron and an operations support flight. Colonel Dignansupervises the administrative and operations functionsof the group on a daily basis. He is also responsible forall matters pertaining to the group’s operational readinessand combat effectiveness. This group provides worldwidemovement of high priority personnel and cargo; missionsrange from local pilot proficiency training, aeromedicalevacuation and worldwide strategic airlift, to night visiongoggle low level short field assault operations.Colonel Dignan received his commission through theU.S. Navy Aviation Officer Candidate School at NASPensacola, Fla., and received his “Wings of Gold” at NASCorpus Christi, Texas. He has served as an officer andpilot in the U.S. Navy, the Air National Guard, and the AirForce Reserve. Colonel Dignan is a command pilot withmore than 6,500 hours in trainer, patrol, reconnaissanceand airlift aircraft. He has flown combat and combatsupportmissions in the Balkans, the Horn of Africa, andSouthwest Asia. Colonel Dignan has also flown more than100 hurricane penetration missions in the WC-130H.Education1989 Bachelor of Science, psychology and sociology,University of the State of New York, Albany, N.Y.1996 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.2004 Air Command and Staff College (correspondence)2004 Leaders of the 21st Century, George MarshallEuropean Center for Security Studies2007 Air War College, (correspondence)2009 Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort LesleyJ. McNair, Washington, D.C.2009 Master of Science, national resource strategy,National Defense University, Washington, D.C.1. November 1989 - May 1990, aviation officer candidateschool, NAS Pensacola, Fla.2. May 1990 - August 1991, flight training, Naval AviationSchools Command, NAS Corpus Christi, Texas3. August 1991 - Feb 1992, P-3 flight training, PatrolSquadron THIRTY ONE, NAS Moffett Field, Calif.4. February 1992 - October 1995, P-3 pilot, PatrolSquadron SEVENTEEN, NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii5. October 1995 - January 1997, logistics plans andprograms officer, 272nd Combat CommunicationsSquadron, Portland International Airport, Ore.6. January 1997 - July 1998, operations plans officer, 913thAirlift Wing, Willow Grove Air Reserve Base, Pa.7. July 1998 - July 2003, chief, standardization andevaluation, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron,Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.8. July 2003 - January 2005, chief, operations grouptraining, 403rd Operations Group, Keesler AFB, Miss.9. January 2005 - June 2006, director of operations, 403rdOperations Support Flight, Keesler AFB, Miss.10. June 2006 - July 2008, director of operations, 357th AS,Maxwell AFB, Ala.11. August 2008 - June 2009, student, Industrial College ofthe Armed Forces, Washington, DC12. July 2009 - September 2010, deputy commander, 512thOperations Group, Dover AFB, Del.13. October 2010 - May 2011 - deputy chief of plans tothe U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and Palestine, U.S.Consulate General Jerusalem14. October 2010 - present, commander 446th OperationsGroup, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.Flight InformationRating: Command PilotFlight hours: More than 6,500Aircraft flown: T-34C, T-44A, P-3A/C, C-130E/H/H2/H3, WC-130H/J, C-130J/-30 and C-17AAWARDS AND DECORATIONSDefense Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clustersAir MedalAerial Achievement Medal with one silver and two bronzeoak leaf clustersAir Force Commendation MedalAir Force Achievement MedalJoint Meritorious Unit AwardMeritorious Unit AwardAir Force Outstanding Unit AwardCombat Readiness Medal with one silver oak leaf clusterNational Defense Service Medal with bronze starArmed Forces Expeditionary MedalSouthwest Asia Service Medal with bronze starGlobal War on Terrorism Expeditionary MedalGlobal War on Terrorism Service MedalKorean Defense Service MedalArmed Forces Service Medal with bronze starHumanitarian Service Medal with two bronze starsArmed Forces Reserve Medal with 2 ‘M’ Devices andHourglass DeviceAir Force Overseas Ribbon ShortSea Service Deployment Ribbon with bronze starAir Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold BorderAirstream Magazine, 1st Quarter, 201315www.youngstown.afrc.af.miland bronze oak leaf clusterAir Force Longevity Service with four oak leaf clustersSmall Arms Expert Marksmanship RibbonNavy Expert Pistol Shot MedalNavy Expert Rifle MedalKuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait)PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPSAND AFFILIATIONSAir Force Association Life MemberAirlift Tanker Association Life MemberMilitary Officers Association Life MemberReserve Officers Association Life MemberEFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTIONU.S. NavyEnsign Aug. 1, 1991Lieutenant Junior Grade Aug. 2, 1993Lieutenant Aug. 1, 1995U.S. Air ForceCaptain Oct. 5, 1995Major April 21, 2001Lieutenant colonel Aug. 2, 2007Colonel Feb. 17, 2012
Page 1: YARS welcomes Col. DignanKubli gets
Page 4 and 5: Col. James D. Dignan becamecommande
Page 6 and 7: Left: Air Force Reserve membersassi
Page 8 and 9: MSgt. Bob Barko, Jr.Citizen Airmen
Page 10 and 11: Since 2009, the 910th AirliftWing c
Page 12 and 13: STORY by Technical Sgt. Valerie Smo
Page 16: Integrity First • Service Before

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