Maj. David McLellan is the Commander of the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for leading 285 Airmen in more than 3,500 Department of the Air Force and joint service ceremonies performed annually for the President, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Chief of Space Operations, and other dignitaries worldwide. He ensures the Air Force complies with the congressional mandate to provide Air Force and Space Force veterans with appropriate military honors at Arlington National Cemetery and other cemeteries in the surrounding five-state region. He is also responsible for the policies, training, and performance standards of more than 225 Air Force and Space Force base honor guard units worldwide.
Maj. McLellan received his commission from the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, graduating as a Distinguished Graduate. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.
During his first assignment, Maj. McLellan deployed to Afghanistan with the Combined Joint Special Operations Air Detachment in support of Operations RESOLUTE SUPPORT and FREEDOM’S SENTINEL.
EDUCATION
2013 Bachelor of Science, Aerospace Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, Arizona
2014 Fundamentals of Acquisition Management, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
2016 Master of Science, Engineering Management, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio
2020 German, Defense Language Institute, Washington DC
2024 Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
- March 2014 – May 2017, Hypersonic Propulsion Systems Engineer, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio (May 2015 – December 2015, Liaison Officer, CJSOAD, Forward Operating Base Fenty, Afghanistan)
- May 2017 – May 2018, Engineering Section Chief, 53d Test Support Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
- May 2018 – February 2020, Special Devices Flight Commander, 53d Test Support Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
- February 2020 – August 2020, Student – German, Defense Language Institute, Arlington, Va.
- August 2020 – May 2022, Exchange Research Engineer, University of the Bundeswehr, Munich, Germany
- May 2022 – May 2024, Director of Operations, USAF Honor Guard, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.
- June 2024 – December 2024, Aide de Camp to the Commander, Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
- December 2024 – Present, Commander, USAF Honor Guard, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
NATO Non-Article 5 Medal ISAF and Afghanistan
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2013 Distinguished Graduate, AFROTC Det 028, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, Ariz.
2017 Junior Military Engineer of the Year, 53d Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla.
2018 Tenant Unit CGO of the Quarter, 325th Wing, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
2018 Flight Commander of the Year, 53d Weapons Evaluation Group, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
2019 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2019 Outstanding Contributor, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2022 2X CGO of the Quarter, 11th Wing, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.
2023 FGO of the Year, 11th Operations Group, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.
PUBLICATIONS
D.A. McLellan and J.M. Donbar, et al, “Direct-Write Heat-Flux Sensors for Scramjet Engines,” 2016 Joint Army Navy NASA Air Force Interagency Propulsion Committee meeting, Newport News, Va., 2016
D.A. McLellan and K. Schneider, “Maintenance planning and spare parts provisioning for a small unmanned aerial system,” 2017 Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium (RAMS), Orlando, Fla., 2017, pp. 1-7
D. McLellan, H. Razlansari, and J. Laverman, “Department of Defense Weapon System Cost Savings Utilizing Innovative Acquisition Processes and Techniques,” 2018 AIAA Defense Forum, Laurel, Md., 2018
McLellan, D.A. (Photographer). (2018, November 29). QF-16 [digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/11/29/tyndall-rises-to-host-first-training-exercise-since-hurricane-michael/
Tobias A. Knopp, David McLellan, et al, “Experimental and numerical investigation of turbulent boundary layers with strong pressure gradients,” 2022 AIAA SCITECH Forum, San Diego, Calif., 2022
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant December 13, 2013
First Lieutenant February 5, 2016
Captain February 5, 2018
Major October 1, 2023
(Current as of December 2024)