Lieutenant Colonel Jason C. Harris is the Commander of United States Air Force Honor Guard, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, District of Columbia. He is responsible for leading more than 220 Airmen in more than 3,500 U.S. 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 and other dignitaries worldwide. He ensures the Air Force complies with the congressional mandate to provide Air Force Veterans with appropriate military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, and other cemeteries in a surrounding five-state region when requested.
As the USAF Honor Guard Commander, Lt. Col. Harris operates the U.S. Air Force Drill Team. This unit is responsible for supporting worldwide Air Force mission awareness in coordination with Air Force Recruiting Services. He is also responsible for the policies, training and performance standards of more than 225 U.S. Air Force base honor guards worldwide.
Lt. Col. Harris was born in Stuttgart, Germany, and graduated from South View Sr High School, Hope Mills, North Carolina, in 1994. He graduated from the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in May 1998. He has deployed in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.
EDUCATION:
1998 Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2004 Squadron Officer School (correspondence/residence)
2007 Master of Science, Criminology, Florida State University, Tallahassee
2008 Air Command and Staff College (in-residence/correspondence)
2014 Air War College (correspondence)
2015 Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy Session 259
2015 Masters Certificate, Criminal Justice, University of Virginia
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. August 1998-July 1999, Assistant Regional Director of Admissions, DET 790 Tennessee State University
2. October 1999-July 2000, Element Leader, 741st Security Forces Squadron, Minot AFB, N.D.
3. July 2000-June 2001, Operations Plans Officer, 4th Operations Support Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB N.C.
4. June 2001-July 2002, Operations Officer, 4th Security Forces Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB N.C.
5. July 2002-April 2003, Flight Commander, 568th Security Forces Squadron Ramstein Air Base, Germany
6. April 2003-October 2004, Training Flight Commander, 435th SFS Ramstein Air Base, Germany
7. October 2004-July 2006, Operations Officer, 569th USFPS Ramstein Air Base, Germany
8. August 2006-December 2007, AFIT Student, Florida State University
9. December 2007-June 2010, Section Chief, Directorate of Installations and Mission Support, HQ AMC, Scott AFB, Illinois
10. July 2010-July 2012, Commander, 22d Security Forces Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kansas
11. July 2012-June 2014, Commander, 341st Training Squadron (DoD Military Working Dogs Training Center), Lackland AFB, Texas
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
Bronze Star Medal
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
Second Lieutenant May 16, 1998
First Lieutenant May 16, 2000
Captain May 16, 2002
Major April 1, 2008
Lieutenant Colonel Aug. 1, 2013
(Current as of October 2017)