BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES C. MCEACHEN
Retired August 23, 2021
Brig. Gen. James C. McEachen was the Air National Guard Assistant to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Director of Combat Support. He was also the Director of the joint DHA Reserve Liaison Office. During the COVID-19 global pandemic, General McEachen was selected to serve on the DOD COVID-19 Task Force as the Deputy for Diagnostics and Testing. General McEachen advised on plans, policies, and programs related to Total Force medical readiness in support of the Joint Staff and Combatant Commands. He served as a liaison for Joint medical leadership across the Active and Reserve components as well as senior leadership in the National Guard Bureau.
General McEachen was commissioned in May 1989 as a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and AFROTC Detachment 225, Notre Dame, Indiana. He began his military career as an electrical engineer with service as a deployed Squadron Section Commander during Desert Shield/Storm and as a Crisis Action Cell Lead at the National Security Agency. A graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School, General McEachen served in multiple leadership roles at the Joint STARS Joint Test Force directly supporting flight test and delivery of E-8C aircraft to the warfighter. He transitioned from Active Duty to the Ready Reserve to attend medical school and is board-certified in both Aerospace Medicine and Diagnostic Radiology. General McEachen is a member of the Iowa Air National Guard where he performed duties as a Flight Surgeon and Chief of Aerospace Medicine. He was selected to serve as the ANG Assistant to the 25th Air Force Command Surgeon and then as the ANG Assistant to the Command Surgeon, Air Mobility Command. General McEachen has deployed in multiple different roles in support of combat operations during Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Provide Comfort, and Joint Endeavor. He has also served as a U.S. representative on a multinational treaty monitoring on-site inspection team. General McEachen has logged over 800 hours in 30+ different aircraft performing either development flight test work or duties as a flight surgeon.
EDUCATION
1989 Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Ind.
1990 Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.
1995 Experimental Flight Test Engineer Course, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards AFB, Calif.
1996 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2004 Doctor of Medicine, University of Illinois, Peoria, Ill.
2009 Residency in Diagnostic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.
2010 Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), by correspondence
2011 Fellow in Interventional Radiology and Imaging Informatics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
2012 Master of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
2013 Air War College, by correspondence
2013 Fellow in Aerospace Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Department of Preventive, Occupational and Aerospace Medicine, Rochester, Minn.
2017 Air Force Medical Service Combined Senior Leaders Course, Falls Church, Va.
2018 Senior Leader Orientation Course (SLOC); Joint Base Andrews, Md. & Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
2019 General and Flag Officer Homeland Security Executive Seminar, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2020 National Security Studies Management Course (NSSMC), Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1989 - January 1992, Electrical Engineering Officer, 363d Civil Engineering Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
2. January 1992 - August 1994, Weapons System Telemetry Analyst, National Security Agency, Fort Meade, Md.
3. September 1994 - December 1995, Student, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards AFB, Calif.
4. December 1995 - December 1996, E-8C Test Program Manager, Joint STARS Joint Test Force, Melbourne, Fla.
5. December 1996 - December 1997, Special Projects Test Program Manager, Joint STARS Joint Test Force, Melbourne, Fla.
6. December 1997 - September 2000, Chief, Test Operations Division, Joint STARS Joint Test Force, Melbourne, Fla.
7. September 2000 - March 2004, Chief Test Engineer, Joint STARS Joint Test Force, Melbourne, Fla.
8. April 2004 - May 2005, E-8 Senior Technical Director, Joint STARS Joint Test Force, Melbourne, Fla.
9. June 2005 - October 2009, Individual Ready Reserve, Air Force Reserve Personnel Center, Denver, Colo.
10. October 2009 - October 2011, Flight Surgeon, 132d Medical and Dental Group, Iowa Air National Guard, Des Moines, Iowa
11. October 2011 - November 2014, Chief of Aerospace Medicine, 132d Medical and Dental Group, Iowa Air National Guard, Des Moines, Iowa
12. December 2014 - June 2017, ANG Assistant to the 25th Air Force Command Surgeon, Headquarters 25th Air Force, Lackland AFB, Texas
13. July 2017 - December 2018, Assistant to the Command Surgeon, Air Mobility Command (AMC/SG), Scott AFB, Ill.
14. December 2018 - August 2021, Air National Guard Assistant to the Defense Health Agency J-3, Falls Church, VA
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Flight Surgeon, Senior Non-Rated Officer Aircrew wings awarded December 1999
Flight hours: Approximately 800
Aircraft flown: More than 30 types, including E-8A/C, F-15B/D, F-16B/D, F-14D, F-111F, AT-38, A-37, T-6, T-2, B-1, C-23, C-130, KC-135, P-3, H-60, and H-1
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal (Air Force)
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with "V" device and oak leaf cluster
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal with one bronze star
Southwest Asia Service Medal with three bronze stars
Armed Forces Service Medal with one bronze star
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Air Force Overseas Ribbon Short Tour
Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon with four oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with hourglass
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with one bronze star
Air Force Training Ribbon
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait)
CIVILIAN OCCUPATION
Senior Aerospace Medicine Physician-Researcher 711th Human Performance Wing Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS & AFFLIATIONS
Alliance of Air National Guard Flight Surgeons
Society of US Air Force Flight Surgeons
Aerospace Medical Association
American Board of Radiology
American Board of Preventive Medicine
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1985 Eagle Scout
2013 Julien E. Ward Award (Society of US Air Force Flight Surgeons/ Aerospace Medical Association)
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Nov. 19, 1989
First Lieutenant Nov. 19, 1991
Captain Nov. 19, 1993
Major March 2, 2004
Lieutenant Colonel Jan. 9, 2011
Colonel Dec. 11, 2014
Brigadier General Dec. 2, 2017
(Current as of October 2021)
