COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The 14th Flying Training Wing officially welcomes its new Vice Commander Col. William Denham and his wife, Claudia, this week.
As Vice Commander, he is responsible for the support and medical care for the nearly 3,000 military, civilian and contract Airmen. He also manages an operations and maintenance budget of $106 million with capital assets exceeding $1.3 billion.
The 14th FTW conducts Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training for U.S. Air Force and allied officers, as well as tactical training for international pilots and aircraft maintainers in the A-29 Super Tucano at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.
The wing at Columbus AFB is composed of 234 aircraft that fly in excess of 54,000 sorties and over 75,000 hours per year to train over 400 pilots and combat system operators annually.
The 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody AFB was activated in January 2015 to train Afghan and Lebanese air force pilots and aircraft maintainers in the A-29 aircraft through 2018. They will support air-to-ground fires and aerial reconnaissance in support of their nation’s aerial operations.
Denham was raised in South Kent, Connecticut, and is a 1995 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He attended Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training at Sheppard AFB, Texas, and was selected to fly the F-15C Eagle.
Prior to this assignment, Denham was the Chief of Combat Plans of the 609th Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, and a 2016 graduate of the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
He is a command pilot with over 2,700 flying hours and nearly 200 combat hours.
Denham is married to Claudia Denham of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They are the proud parents of three children.
EDUCATION
1995 Bachelor of Science, Aeronautical Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
2002 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2008 Master of Arts, Security Studies, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif.
2008 Naval Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2016 Master of Arts, Security Studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
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February 1996–July 1997, Student, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Sheppard AFB, Texas
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July 1997–March 1998, Student, F-15C Fighter Training Unit, 95th Fighter Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
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March 1998–January 2001, F-15C Flight Lead, 493rd Fighter Squadron, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom
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May 2001–July 2004, Instructor Pilot, Flight Commander, Check Flight Commander, 25th Flying Training Squadron, Vance AFB, Okla.
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August 2004–August 2007, Instructor Pilot, Flight Examiner, Group Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 19th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
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September 2007–December 2008, Student, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif.
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January 2009—June 2011, Congressional Liaison, Air Force Legislative Liaison, House of Representatives, Washington D.C.
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January 2012–January 2014, Instructor Pilot, Director of Operations, 18th Operations Support Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan
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January 2014—July 2015, Commander, 67th Fighter Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan
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July 2015—May 2016, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
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June 2016—June 2017, Chief of Combat Plans, 609th Air Operations Center, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot Flight hours: 2,790
Aircraft flown: F-15C, T-38A/C, AT-38B, T-37
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 31, 1995
First Lieutenant May 31, 1997
Captain May 31, 1999
Major Oct. 1, 2005
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 2010
Colonel Sept. 1, 2016