Flight Commander Citations

Flight Commander

Major Daniel M. Collins distinguished himself in the performance of outstanding service to the United States as Flight Commander and AC-130J Instructor Weapons System Officer, 73rd Special Operations Squadron, 1st Special Operations Group, 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida. During this period, Major Collins was an instrumental leader in establishing a new aircraft and standing up a new flying unit. He was hand-selected as initial cadre for the AC-130J gunship and set the culture and foundation of a 5.3 billion dollar program. In addition, he was indispensable as lead strike planner for a SOCOM exercise where he coordinated with 15 aircraft and trained 10 Joint Terminal Attack Controllers and 250 Rangers as he refined combat tactics for the squadron. Furthermore, Major Collins' professionalism was vital both inside and outside the aircraft. As Flight Commander, Major Collins was essential as he executed the first E8/AC-130J integrated sortie and verified Air Combat Command and AFSOC Link-16 Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures, validating capabilities for a near peer fight and leaving an AC-130J Ghostrider program legacy that will last for decades. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Major Collins reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

Flight Commander

Master Sergeant Thomas R. Hagmaier distinguished himself by outstanding service to the United States while serving as Flight Commander, 74th Air Refueling Squadron, 434th Air Refueling Wing, Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana. During this period, the outstanding professional skill, leadership, and ceaseless efforts of Sergeant Hagmaier resulted in major contributions to the effectiveness and success of the 434th Air Refueling Wing. His meticulous development and oversight of the "Crew Tracker" OPLAN 8010 force generation product enhanced the reserve unit's ability to support objectives. His force generation product allowed the Wing commander and inter-agencies a near real-time situational awareness of the Wing's capability to generate alert aircraft and crews within stringent STRATCOM time requirements, directly contributing to the 434th Air Refueling Wing receiving an "Excellent" rating during the 2010 Nuclear Operational Readiness Inspection. Additionally, Sergeant Hagmaier was a hand-picked mission manager for the first ever 434th Air Refueling Wing contingent deployed to SOUTHCOM Forward Operating Location Curacao, whose partnership with multi-national agencies supported the surveillance of aircraft and vessels engaged in illicit U.S. drug trafficking, seizing millions of dollars and tens of thousands pounds of drugs. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Hagmaier reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Air Force.