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USAF officials name base's next commander
In an announcement Dec. 16, the Air Force named Col. Jeff O'Donnell as the new commander of the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base.
O'Donnell, who currently serves as the wing's vice commander, will succeed Col. David Iverson, who took command of the Gunfighters in February 2014.
O'Donnell was selected as a candidate to be a wing commander earlier this fall, and the change in wing leadership is a product of natural career progression for both colonels, base officials said.
"It has been an absolute pleasure working with Colonel O'Donnell over the past six months," Iverson said in a statement released on Monday. "He has the Gunfighters' mission and people at the forefront of his mind, and I have full faith in his ability to lead Air Combat Command's premiere combat wing to further greatness."
The date of the change of command ceremony and Iverson's next assignment were not immediately known. However, base officials expect the ceremony to happen in the late spring or early summer.
"I'm humbled by this opportunity to lead the men and women of the 366th Fighter Wing," O'Donnell said. "We have a great team here, and I look forward to getting to know them even better."
A Wisconsin native, O'Donnell earned his Air Force commission in 1996 as a graduate from the Air Force Officer Training School in San Antonio, Texas. He originally served as services officer before attending Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training school at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., where he earned his pilot wings.
During his military career, O'Donnell has served at bases in North Carolina, Virginia and England. In June 2010, he took command of the 333rd Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., before he became the deputy commander of the 4th Operations Group at the base in December 2011.
The colonel came to Mountain Home in July 2015 after serving as the Defense Department's senior military evaluator for air warfare systems with the operational test and evaluation department at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
O'Donnell earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics through the University of Illinois and went on to complete his master's degree in organizational management through George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He also holds a master's degree in strategic studies through the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
A command pilot, the colonel has more than 2,470 total flying hours in the T-3, T-37 and T-38 trainers. He has also accumulated 377 combat hours in the F-15E Strike Eagle in support of operations Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle, which included serving as the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group deputy commander at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
He was promoted to colonel Oct. 1, 2014. His major awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters and the Air Medal with one oak leaf cluster.
In 2007, the Kitty Hawk Daedalians named him as the 4th Fighter Wing command pilot of the year.
In last week's announcement, Air Force officials also named three other individuals that will take command of different organizations at the local Air Force base. Col. Scott Grover will take command of the 366th Maintenance Group from Col. Michael Lawrence while Col. John Blackwell takes command of the 366th Mission Support Group from Col. Gary Kubat.
Meanwhile, Col. David Brynteson will come to Mountain Home to serve as the wing's next vice commander.