Lieutenant Colonel Nathan “Nate” Zahn is the Commander of the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for leading 270 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.
Born and raised in southern New Jersey, Lieutenant Colonel Zahn received his commission in 2005 as an Air Force ROTC Distinguished Graduate at Charleston Southern University after serving over four years enlisted as an avionics technician and crew chief on C-17 aircraft. He has deployed three times in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, and FREEDOM’S SENTINEL. He is married to Alicia and they have two children.
EDUCATION
2002 Associate of Applied Science, Avionics Systems Technology, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell Air Force Base (AFB), Alabama
2005 Bachelor of Technology, Computer Science, Charleston Southern University, South Carolina
2011 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2013 Master of Science, Management, American Military University, West Virginia
2015 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, by correspondence
2016 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia
2019 U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
ASSIGNMENTS (with Deployments)
1. July 2005 – July 2006, Deputy Flight Commander, Combat Information Systems, 607th Combat Communications Squadron, Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea
2. July 2006 – July 2009, Executive Officer, 611th Air Operations Center and Operations Flight Commander, 611th Air Communications Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
3. July 2009 – July 2012, Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies and Commandant of Cadets, AFROTC Detachment 595, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
4. July 2012 – November 2013, Chief of Force Development, Communications and Information Directorate, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colorado (Deployed March 2013 - October 2013, Afghan National Security Forces Communications Division Chief, Headquarters NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan and Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, Camp Eggers, Afghanistan)
5. November 2013 – August 2015, Director of Operations, 50th Space Communications Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colorado (Deployed January 2015 - April 2015, Chief of Communications, 879th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, Eskan Village, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) (Deployed April 2015 - May 2015, Commander, 455th Expeditionary Communications Squadron, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan)
6. August 2015 – May 2017, Information Technology Program Manager, Cyberspace Operations Directorate, Headquarters NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, Peterson AFB, Colorado
7. June 2017 – June 2018, Commander, 9th Communications Squadron, Beale AFB, California
8. July 2018 – June 2019, Student, US Army Command & General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
9. July 2019 – June 2021, Commander, 673d Communications Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
10. June 2021 – Present, Commander, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Bronze Star
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 05, 2005
First Lieutenant June 01, 2007
Captain June 01, 2009
Major August 01, 2015
Lieutenant Colonel January 01, 2020
(Current as of July 2021)