Assistant Adjutant General - Air Pennsylvania National Guard
Major General John E. Murphy is the Assistant Adjutant General, Pennsylvania Air National Guard and also serves as the Senior Mentor to Domestic Operations, Joint Force Headquarters, Pennsylvania National Guard, Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. He is the primary staff advisor to the Adjutant General, on equipping and modernizing the fourth largest Air National Guard in the country, consisting of over 4,000 airmen assigned to three operational wings and twelve expeditionary combat support units representing three major commands. Additionally, General Murphy serves Pennsylvania Joint Force Headquarters as a Senior Advisor to the Director of Joint Staff and the All Hazards Response team. He oversees joint policy formulation, exercise conduct, and task force execution pertaining to the Pennsylvania National Guard's military support of civilian authorities during periods of domestic emergency management. General Murphy served as the Joint Task Force Dual Status Commander in Pennsylvania’s recent Vigilant Guard 14.
General Murphy received his commission through the Air National Guard Academy of Military Science after joining the Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s 112th Tactical Fighter Group. His military flying career began as a distinguished graduate of Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas and has included assignments in Tactical Air Command and Air Mobility Command. During his career as a traditional guardsman in the Air National Guard, General Murphy has commanded at the flight, squadron, and group level. Prior to his assignment to Pennsylvania Joint Force Headquarters, General Murphy was Vice Commander, 171st Air Refueling Wing, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during which time he completed an Air Expeditionary Force rotation as Chief of Combat Operations with Continental Air Defense Command. His over 3000 hours of military flying time includes combat support sorties during Operation Allied Force and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
1981 West Virginia University, Bachelor of Science, Business Administration,
Morgantown, West Virginia
2004 Air War College, by seminar at Maxwell Air Force Base
2009 Duquesne University, Master of Science, Leadership and Ethics, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania
2013 USNORTHCOM, Dual Status Commander Qualification, Colorado Springs, Colorado
1. July 1984 - August 1985, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin
Air Force Base, Texas
2. August 1985 - May 1986, Student, Operational Training Course, A-7D, Tucson
Air National Guard Base, Arizona
3. May 1986 - May 1991, Pilot, A-7D, 146th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Pittsburgh
International Airport, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
4. May 1991 - May 1998, Pilot, KC-135E, 146th Air Refueling Squadron, Pittsburgh
International Airport, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
5. May 1998 - May 2000, Instructor Pilot, KC-135, 146th Air Refueling Squadron,
Pittsburgh International Airport, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
6. May 2000 - May 2005, Commander, 146th Air Refueling Squadron, Pittsburgh
International Airport, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
7. May 2005 - October 2006, Commander, 171st Operations Group, Pittsburgh
International Airport, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
8. October 2006 - October 2008, Vice Commander, 171st Air Refueling Wing,
Pittsburgh International Airport, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
9. October 2008 - January 2010, Director of Operations, Pennsylvania Joint Force
Headquarters, Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, Pennsylvania
10. January 2010 - Present, Assistant Adjutant General - Air, Pennsylvania
National Guard, Pennsylvania Joint Force Headquarters, Fort Indiantown Gap,
Annville, Pennsylvania
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More Than 3,000
Aircraft Flown: AT-38, A-7D/K, KC-135E/R/T
Pilot Wings Earned: Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
Legion of Merit (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
Meritorious Service Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal (with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Army Commendation Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award (with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster)
Combat Readiness Medal (with 1 Silver and 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
National Defense Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Service Star)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Kosovo Campaign Medal (with 1 Bronze Service Star)
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon
Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon (with 1 Silver Oak Leaf Cluster)
Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with Silver Hourglass, 'M' Device and Numeral 2)
Air Force Training Ribbon
Pennsylvania Commendation Medal (with 1 Bronze Service Star)
Pennsylvania Governors Unit Citation
Pennsylvania 20 Year Service Medal
Major General Thomas R. White Medal
General Thomas J. Stewart Medal
Airline Transport Pilot with American Airlines. Captain qualified on the McDonald-Douglas 80, Boeing 737, and Airbus 320 series aircraft. He is currently based in Charlotte, North Carolina flying domestic and international routes throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Second Lieutenant 12 July 1984
First Lieutenant 04 October 1986
Captain 23 October 1988
Major 19 April 1995
Lieutenant Colonel 01 September 1999
Colonel 07 December 2005
Brigadier General 02 February 2010
Major General 09 Aug 2013
(Current as of August 2015)