Retired February 01, 2021
Chaplain, Brigadier General William T. Yates was the Air National Guard Assistant to the Air Force Chief of Chaplains. In this capacity, he was the principal advisor to the Chief of Chaplains on all matters pertaining to the ANG Chaplain Corps in order to achieve maximum operational synergy between active duty forces and 600 Air National Guard Chaplain Corps members serving 90 wings in 54 States, Territories and the District of Columbia. He also advised on all matters relating to the missions and utilization of ANG Chaplain Corps personnel covering the full spectrum of readiness, religious support and spiritual fitness for homeland and global operations. In addition, Chaplain Yates led eight ANG Senior Leader chaplains assigned to six Major Commands, two Combatant Commands and two Numbered Air Forces. He served as interagency liaison to the National Science Foundation and Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica for OPERATION DEEP FREEZE, United States Antarctic Program.
Chaplain Yates received a direct commission in 1985. He has supported multiple operations in Europe, the Balkans, the Pacific, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Antarctica.
EDUCATION:
1978 Bachelor of Arts, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind.
1982 Master of Divinity, Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis, Mo.
1983 Master of Sacred Theology, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
2007 Air War College, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. June 1985 - October 1987, Chaplain, 410th Bomb Wing, K.I. Sawyer AFB, Mich.
2. November 1987 - November 1990, Staff Chaplain, 101st Air Refueling Wing, Bangor ANGB, Maine
3. November 1990 - December 2009, Wing Chaplain, 181st Fighter Wing, then Intelligence Wing, Terre Haute ANGB, Ind.
4. September 1993 - August 1998, Chaplain, State Committee for Family Readiness, Headquarters Indiana National Guard, Indianapolis, Ind.
5. February 2009 - November 2013, Vice Chair, Joint Chaplain Functional Advisory Council (FAC) for Domestic Operations, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va. and National Guard Chaplain Liaison for FEMA Region-V
6. January 2010 - November 2013, ANG Assistant to the Command Chaplain, HQ Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and ANG Liaison to the USPACOM Chaplain, Fort Smith, Hawaii
7. January 2010 - March 2012, Assistant to the Command Chaplain, HQ Pacific Air Force (PACAF/HC)
8. November 2013 - November 2014, Deputy Director, ANG Chaplain Corps, ANG Readiness Center, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
9. December 2014 - January 2019, Director, ANG Chaplain Corps, ANG Readiness Center, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
10. February 2019 - January 2021, ANG Assistant to the Chief of Chaplains, HQ USAF (AF/HC), Bolling AFB, DC
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters
Army Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Air Force Recognition Ribbon
National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star
Antarctica Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Air and Space Campaign Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with gold hourglass and four 'M' devices
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1992 Support Officer of the Year, 181st Fighter Group, Indiana ANG
1993 George Washington Honor Medal, Freedom’s Foundation at Valley Forge, Pa.
1997 Distinguished Service Medal, Indiana National Guard
2004 The Reverend Samuel Stone Award, ANG Chaplain of the Year
2007 The Saint Martin of Tours Medal, Board for International Mission, Ministry to the Armed Forces, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, St. Louis, Mo
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
First Lieutenant May 18, 1985
Captain Oct. 2, 1987
Major Jan. 11, 1992
Lieutenant Colonel May 2, 1996
Colonel Feb. 2, 2010
Brigadier General Feb. 4, 2019
(Current as of February 2021)