Col. Joseph H. Early III is the vice commander, 192D Fighter Wing, Virginia Air National Guard, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. As one of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and Director of the Air National Guard's Total Force Initiatives, he supports the commander in all aspects of maintaining a combat-ready F-22 classic associate wing with the 1 FW flying the F-22 Raptor, 480th Intelligence Wing Distributed Ground Station, and the Global Logistic Support Center at JBLE, VA.
Colonel Early earned his commission in 1981 through Reserve Officer Training Corps at The University of Virginia. His aviation career began with Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laughlin AFB, Del Rio, Texas. Upon completion of flight training he reported to Myrtle Beach, AFB, S.C., in February 1983 as a mission ready A-10 pilot. In June 1985 he was reassigned to Williams AFB, Ariz., as an F-5 Instructor Pilot with the 405TFW. As a part of the Foreign Military Sales program, he was responsible for training students from throughout the Middle East, Africa, Central and South America. Colonel Early separated from active duty in May 1988 and was hired as a pilot for US Airways and joined the Virginia Air National Guard in November of that year as a traditional guardsman flying the A-7 and later the F-16C (block 30). A command pilot with over 3,500 flying hours in the A-10, F-5, A-7 and F-16C, his previous position was support officer, JFHQ-VA, VaANG, Richmond, Va.
EDUCATION:
1981 Bachelor of Science, Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
1987 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL, by correspondence
1998 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2002 Air War College, by correspondence
2006 JTF State Staff Course, by distance learning
2008 JCWS, in residence, Joint Staff College, Norfolk, VA
2009 JFROC, in residence, USJFCOM, Norfolk, VA
ASSIGNMENTS:
Jul 1981 - Jun 1982 Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, USAF, Laughlin, AFB, TX
Jun 1982 - Aug 1982 Student, Lead-In Fighter Training, USAF, Holloman AFB, NM
Aug 1982 - Feb 1983 Student, A-10 Replacement Training Unit, USAF, Davis Monthan, AFB, AZ
Feb 1983 - Aug 1985 A-10, Mission Ready Pilot, USAF, Myrtle Beach AFB, SC
Aug 1985 - Jun 1988 F-5 RTU Instructor Pilot, USAF, Williams AFB, AZ
Jun 1988 - Nov 1988 Nonaffiliated Reserves, USAFR, Lowry AFB, CO
Nov 1988 - Dec 2003 A-7/F-16 Instructor Pilot, VaANG, Sandston, VA
Dec 2003 - Jun 2006 Plans Officer/Staff Officer JFHQ-VA, VaANG, Sandston, VA
Jun 2006 - Sep 2007 Commander, 200 Weather Flight, VaANG, Sandston, VA
Oct 2007 - Aug 2008 JRU Commander/J7 Reserve Director, VaANG, USJFCOM, Norfolk, VA
Aug 2008 - Mar 2010 Commander, 192d Mission Support Group, VaANG, Langley AFB, VA
Mar 2010 - Jun 2010 Support Officer, JFHQ-VA, VaANG, Richmond, VA
Jun 2010 - Present Vice Commander, 192d Fighter Wing, VaANG, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA
AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
Meritorious Services Medal with one device
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal with one device
Air Force Commendation Medal with two devices
Air Force Achievement Medal with two devices
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Combat Readiness Medal with eight devices
National Defense Service Medal with one device
Southwest Asia Service Medal with one device
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service with three devices
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with two 'M' Devices
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Pistol)
AF Training Ribbon
Virginia National Guard Service Ribbon with nine devices
Virginia National Guard Perfect Attendance Ribbon with seven devices
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
Second Lieutenant 27 May 1981
First Lieutenant 08 Jul 1983
Captain 08 Jul 1985
Major 23 May 1995
Lieutenant Colonel 13 Jun 1999
Colonel 03 Oct 2007
(Current as of 21 Jun 2010)