BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN LIEUTENANT GENERAL DARREN W. MCDEW A UNITED STATES AIR FORCE GENERAL : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

LIEUTENANT GENERAL DARREN W. MCDEW


Lt. Gen. Darren W. McDew is Commander, 18th Air Force, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. As Air Mobility Command's sole warfighting numbered air force, 18th Air Force is responsible for the command's worldwide operational mission of providing rapid, global mobility and sustainment for America's armed forces through airlift, aerial refueling, aeromedical evacuation, and contingency response. With more than 39,000 active-duty Airmen, Reservists and civilians and approximately 1,300 aircraft, the 18th Air Force manages the global air mobility enterprise through the 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center), 11 wings and two stand-alone groups. General McDew also commands Task Force 294, which oversees Air Force tanker operations in support of U.S. Strategic Command.

General McDew was commissioned in 1982 following his graduation from Virginia Military Institute. He began his flying career at Loring Air Force Base, Maine. His staff assignments include serving as a member of the Air Force Chief of Staff Operations Group, Air Force aide to the President, and Chief of the U.S. Air Force Senate Liaison Division, Washington, D.C. and the Director of Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C. The general has served as the Vice Commander of 18th Air Force, Scott AFB, Ill., and has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels as well as an Air Force Direct Reporting Unit. He has deployed in support of ongoing operations in Central and Southwest Asia as an air expeditionary group commander and later as the Director of Mobility Forces. Prior to his current assignment, the general was the Commander, Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

The general is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours in a variety of aircraft.

EDUCATION
1982 Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington
1985 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1994 Master of Science degree in aviation management, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
1995 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2000 Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellowship, Sun Microsystems Inc., Palo Alto, Calif.
2003 National Security Studies, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, N.Y.
2005 Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2008 Senior Joint Information Operations Applications Course, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2008 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C.
2011 Department of Defense National Security Studies Program, Defense Policy Seminar, Elliott School of International Affairs, Washington, D.C.
2012 Joint Task Force Commander Training Course, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2013 Pinnacle Course, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C.