Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Pearson

Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Pearson is the 302d fighter Squadron commander at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Prior to his present assignment, he served as the 477th Operations Support Flight commander.

Lt. Col. Pearson earned his commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2002. He served 11 years on active duty, flying the F-16 before transitioning to the F-22A in 2009. Pearson transitioned to the Air Force Reserve in 2013 and continues to fly the F-22A as a traditional reservist. He is a command pilot with more than 2100 hours in the T-37, T-38, F-16, and F-22A aircraft. 

Pearson logged combat time while flying the F-16 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Outside of his military service, he is a first officer for UPS Airlines.

EDUCATION
2002 Bachelors of Science, Business Administration and Management, USAF Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2012 Master of Aeronautical Science with Distinction, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
2019 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence

ASSIGNMENTS
1. Jan. 2003 - Feb. 2004, Student, USAF Jet Pilot Training, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
2. March - June 2004, Student, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Moody AFB, Ga.
3. July 2004 - Feb. 2005, Student, F-16 FTU, 302d Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
4. March 2005 - Dec. 2008, F-16CJ Instructor Pilot, 14th FS, Misawa Air Base, Japan
5. Jan. 2008 - Jan 2009, Flight Commander, 80th FS, Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea
6. Feb. - June 2009, F-22A  Transition Course, 43rd FS, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
7. July 2009 - Sept. 2011, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 90 FS, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
8. Oct. 2011 - March 2012, Assistant director of operations, 90th FS, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
9. April 2012 - Oct. 2013, Executive officer to Wing Commander, 3d Wing, JBER, Alaska
10. Nov. 2013 - July 2014, F-22A Evaluator Pilot, Senior ART, 302d FS, JBER, Alaska
11. Aug. 2015 - July 2016, Chief, F-22A Alert Operations, 302d FS, JBER, Alaska
12. Aug. 2016 - July 2017, Assistant director of Operations, 302d FS, JBER, Alaska
13. Aug. 2017 - Sept. 2020, A-Flight Commander, 302d FS, JBER, Alaska
14. Oct. 2020 - Nov. 2022, Commander, 477th Operations Support Flight, JBER, Alaska
15.Nov. 2022 - Present, Commander, 302d Fighter Squadron, JBER, Alaska

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: 2,100+
Aircraft Flown: F-16, F-22A

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with two devices
Air Medal with one device
Air Force Commendation Medal with one device
Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with five devices
Combat Readiness Medal with two devices
National Defense Service Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal with one device
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korean Defense Service Medal
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border with one device
AF Longevity Service with four devices
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
AF Training Ribbon