Major
General Daniel J. Gibson is the chief of staff who also serves as commander of
the California Air National Guard. He is responsible for command and
control oversight of five major field-level organizations comprised of nearly
5,000 military and civilian personnel serving at eleven locations within
California. As commander, he serves as the senior Air National Guard
officer responsible for providing operationally trained, equipped and
mission-ready forces to support national defense requirements worldwide and
emergency response, relief, and recovery operations throughout California.
General Gibson graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1967. After graduating from pilot training, he completed flying assignments in Korea, Thailand and the United States. He joined the California Air National Guard in 1979 where he held numerous positions until he transferred to the State Headquarters in 1989. He is a command pilot and has flown more than 4,700 hours, including more than 1,300 combat hours in the OV-10 and F-4 in Southeast Asia.
1967 Bachelor of science degree, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1975 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
1977 Air Command and Staff College, by seminar
1977 Master's degree in business administration, Golden Gate University, San Francisco, Calif.
1987 Air War College, by seminar
1. August 1967 - August 1968, student, undergraduate pilot training, Williams Air Force Base, Ariz.
2. August 1968 - December 1968, F-4D combat crew training, Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.
3. December 1968 - April 1970, F-4D pilot, 68th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Homestead Air Force Base, Fla.
4. April 1970 - September 1970, OV-10 combat crew training, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
5. September 1970 - April 1972, OV-10 forward air controller, 23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron, Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Base (RTAB), Thailand.
6. April 1972 - March 1973,F-4E combat crew training, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.
7. March 1973 - April 1974, F-4E pilot, 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Udorn RTAB, Thailand.
8. April 1974 - February 1975, F-4 instructor pilot, 21st Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, George Air Force Base, Calif.
9. February 1975 - September 1975, student, F-4 Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
10. September 1975 - November 1978, F-4 instructor pilot and wing weapons officer 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, George Air Force Base, Calif.
11. November 1978 - December 1979, inactive status, Headquarters Air Reserve Personnel Center, Denver, Colo
12. December 1979 - October 1981, forward air controller, O-2A, 163rd Tactical Air Support Group, Ontario Air National Guard Base, Calif.
13. October 1981 - May 1985, chief of safety (F-4), 163rd Tactical Fighter Group, March Air Force Base, Calif.
14. May 1985 - April 1989, deputy commander for operations (F-4), 163rd Tactical Fighter Group, March Air Force Base, Calif.
15. April 1989 - November 1989, commander (F-4), 163rd Tactical Fighter Group, March Air Force Base, Calif.
16. November 1989 - September 1991, director, plans and programs, Headquarters, California Air National Guard, Sacramento, Calif.
17. September 1991 - April 1991, director of operations, Headquarters, California Air National Guard, Sacramento, Calif.
18. April 1991 - April 1992, chief of staff, Headquarters, California Air National Guard, Sacramento, Calif.
19. April 1992 - July 1995, vice commander, Headquarters, California Air National Guard, Sacramento, Calif.
20. July 1995 - August 1999, director, of command, control, communications, and computers, Headquarters, California Air National Guard, Sacramento, Calif.
21. August 1999 - present, chief of staff who also serves as commander, Headquarters, California Air National Guard, Sacramento, Calif.
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,700
Aircraft flown: T-41, T-37, T-38, F-4C, D, E, RF-4C, OV-10, C-26
Pilot wings from: Williams Air Force Base, Ariz.
Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross with three oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with 22 oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Presidential Unit Citation
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with one oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Vietnam Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Longevity Service Award with seven oak leaf clusters
Armed Force Reserve Medal
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Training Ribbon
Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
Vietnam Campaign Medal
California Medal of Merit
California Service Medal
California Drill Attendance Ribbon with two oak leaf clusters
1997 Harvard Ukrainian National Security Program, Cambridge, Mass.
Second Lieutenant Jun 7, 1967
First Lieutenant Dec 7, 1968
Captain Jun 7, 1970
Major Jun 7, 1981
Lieutenant Colonel Jun 7, 1985
Colonel Jun 7, 1988
Brigadier General Sept 23, 1994
Major General Sept 23, 1999
(Current as of June 2002)
The date of publication indicated on this biography reflects the most recent update. It does not necessarily reflect the date of printing.