Lieutenant Colonel Zachary K. Garrett is the Commander, 318th Recruiting Squadron, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. As the commander, he leads a highly skilled team of 79 recruiters and support personnel tasked with inspiring, engaging and recruiting health professions and line officers from a 1.2 million square mile area of responsibility encompassing 21 Northeastern states, the District of Columbia and Europe. The 318th RCS is responsible for the accession of high-quality recruits to meet Air Force officer accession requirements, meeting Air Force Health Professions and Line Officer accession requirements in the areas of physicians, dentists, nurses, biomedical services corps, rated and non-rated officers.
Lieutenant Colonel Garrett received his commission in 2007 from the United States Air Force Academy, serving 15 years on active duty. He trained over 1,800 special warfare high altitude parachutists as an Aerospace Physiology Instructor at Shaw AFB, South Carolina. Maj Garrett’s career is highlighted with proof of concept initiatives in integrated musculoskeletal care clinics for battlefield airmen and fighter pilots, consolidated unit medical readiness data analytics, enhanced skill acquisition methods for pilot and sensor operator training, and altitude research in support of SOCOM operators. He also completed an Air Force Institute of Technology fellowship at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Prior to his current assignment, Lieutenant Colonel Garrett was an instructor and evaluator for the DoD’s only High Altitude Airdrop Mission Support Center at Joint Base Charleston performing airdrops across the world in support of combat and humanitarian operations.
EDUCATION
2007 Bachelor of Science in Biology, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
2012 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
2016 Master of Sciences in Biology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2019 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2019 Army Basic Airborne Course, Fort Benning, Ga.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 2007 – July 2010, Aerospace Physiologist, 20th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.
2. July 2010 – July 2011, HAWC Flight Commander, 51st Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea
3. July 2011 – August 2014, Human Performance Flight Commander, 23d Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Moody AFB, Ga. (Deployed June-November 2013, Aerospace Physiologist, 380th Expeditionary Medical Group, Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates)
4. August 2014 – June 2016, AFIT student, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colo.
5. June 2016 – June 2019, Human Performance Flight Commander, 49th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Holloman AFB, N.M.
6. June 2019 – October 2021, Aerospace and Operational Physiologist, 628th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron, Joint Base (JB) Charleston, S.C. (Deployed August-September 2021, HAAMS Technician, 437th Operations Group)
7. July 2019 – December 2020, Defense Health Agency Director of Operations, 628th Medical Group, JB Charleston, S.C.
8. October 2021 – October 2022, Officer In Charge, High Altitude Airdrop Mission Support Operations, 437th Operations Group, JB Charleston, S.C.
9. October 2022 – June 2023, Center Director, High Altitude Airdrop Mission Support Center, 437th Operations Group, JB Charleston, S.C.
10. June 2023 – Present, Center Director, High Altitude Airdrop Mission Support Center, 437th Operations Group, JB Charleston, S.C.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Aircrew Member
Flight hours: 220.4 hours
Combat hours: 36.7 hours
Aircraft: T-6, F-16, C-130, C-17, MC-130 and C-27
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2008 Council International Sport Militaire Cycling World Championships, U.S. Armed Forces Team Member
2009 20th Medical Group Company Grade Officer of the Year
2016 University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Biology Department Outstanding Graduate Student
2017 49th Medical Group Team of the Year, Human Performance Flight
2018 49th Medical Group Field Grade Officer of the Year
2021 AMC Aerospace Physiology Field Grade Officer of the Year
2021 AMC Aerospace Physiology Team of the Year, High Altitude Airdrop Mission Support Center
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant 30 May 2007
First Lieutenant 30 May 2009
Captain 30 May 2011
Major 1 June 2016
Lieutenant Colonel 1 March 2023
(Current as of March 2023)