Brig. Gen. Derin S. Durham is the Deputy Commander, Air Force Recruiting Service, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. The AFRS comprises more than 2,800 Airmen and civilians and approximately 1,040 recruiting offices across the U.S. and abroad. He is responsible for all enlisted accessions and a variety of officer accessioning programs. AFRS also manages all strategic marketing for the U.S. Air Force.
Brig. Gen. Durham began his military career as a graduate from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. During his 13 years of active duty, he served as an Air Traffic Controller, a C-130E Hercules Pilot and a C-17A Globemaster III Pilot. During this time, he flew numerous combat missions supporting operations in Kosovo, Hungary, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was commissioned in the Air Force Reserve in May 2003.
The general has served at the unit, group, wing and command levels, to include the Pentagon as the Senior Executive Officer to the Chief of the Air Force Reserve, and the Commander, Air Force Reserve Command and as the Deputy Director for Mobilization in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.
Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Commander of the 439th Airlift Wing, Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts, which is home to eight C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft supporting Air Mobility Command’s worldwide airlift mission.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, International Relations and Military Affairs, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston
1994 Masters of Science, Public Administration, Logistics, Georgia College, Milledgeville
1998 Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Ala.
2004 Air Force Reserve Command Leadership Today and Tomorrow Seminar, Washington, D.C.
2004 Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2006 Air War College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2009 Joint Military Operations Course, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2011 Air War College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2011 Master of Arts, Strategic Studies, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Joint Air and Space Operations Senior Staff Course, Joint Special Operations University, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
2013 Safety and Accident Investigation Board President Course, Air Force Safety Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
2014 Middle East and South Asia Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
2015 Reserve Component National Security Course, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
2016 Director of Mobility Forces Course, Air Force Expeditionary Operations School, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
2016 NATO Senior Reserve Officers Course, NATO School Oberammergau, Germany
2018 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1991 - July 1992, Air Traffic Control Officer, 4th Operations Support Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.
2. July 1992 - March 1994, Deputy Chief, Air Traffic Control, 653rd Air Base Wing, Robins AFB, Ga.
3. March 1994 - September 1994, Student Pilot, 37th Flying Training Squadron, Columbus AFB, Miss.
4. September 1994 - May 1995, Student Pilot, VT 31, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas
5. May 1995 - May 1997, C-130E Pilot, 2nd Airlift Squadron, Pope AFB, N.C.
6. May 1997 - May 1998, Chief, Operations Resource Management/C-130E Pilot, 2nd AS, Pope AFB, N.C.
7. May 1998 - May 1999, C-17A Pilot and Chief Squadron Tactics, 17th AS, Charleston AFB, S.C.
8. May 1999 - February 2001, C-17A Instructor Pilot and Deputy Flight Commander, Wing Weapons and Tactics, 437th OSS, Charleston AFB, S.C.
9. February 2001- February 2002, C-17A Evaluator and Assistant Chief Squadron Standardization and Evaluation, 17th AS, Charleston AFB, S.C.
10. February 2002 - February 2003, C-17A Chief, Special Operations Low-level Training and Current Operations, 437th OSS, Charleston AFB, S.C.
11. February 2003 – February 2006, Air Force Reserve Command C-17 Evaluator Pilot, Robins AFB, Ga.
12. February 2006 - August 2011, Director of Operations, 701st AS, Charleston AFB, S.C.
13. August 2011 - June 2013, Commander, 512th Operations Group, Dover AFB, Del.
14. June 2013 - July 2014, Executive Officer to the Chief of Air Force Reserve and Executive Officer to the Commander AFRC, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
15. July 2014 - August 2015, Deputy Director for Mobilization, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. August 2015 – June 2017, Commander, 512th Airlift Wing, Dover AFB, Del.
17. June 2017 – April 2019, Commander, 439th AW, Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. (February-June 2018, Director of Mobility Forces, Air Force Central Command, Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar)
18. April 2019 - present, Deputy Commander, Air Force Recruiting Service, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: 5,150, combat hours 332
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-44, C-130E, C-17A and C-5M
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Combat Action Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with “V” device and four oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with service star
Kosovo Campaign Medal with service star
Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal with service star
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold border
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with two 'M' devices
NATO Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 12, 1990
First Lieutenant Nov. 13, 1992
Captain Nov. 13, 1994
Major Dec. 1, 2001
Lieutenant Colonel Aug. 2, 2007
Colonel Feb. 17, 2012
Brigadier General Dec. 12, 2018
(Current as of July 2019)