Brigadier General Douglas M. Pierce is the assistant adjutant general for air, Headquarters Iowa Air National Guard, Johnston, Iowa. He also serves as the commander of the Iowa Air National Guard and is the primary advisor to the adjutant general on all Air Guard matters. He ensures the highest level of operational readiness for all assigned units to meet both federal and state missions.
The general began his military career when he was commissioned in the United States Air Force in March 1969. He was an Honor Graduate from Undergraduate Pilot Training at Moody Air Force Base, GA, where he was awarded the aeronautical rating of pilot in April 1970. He served as a T-37 Instructor Pilot at Vance Air Force Base, OK, until April 1974 when he separated from active duty and joined the Iowa Air National Guard, 132d Fighter Wing as a combat-ready pilot. Within the 132d Fighter Wing, General Pierce served as Flight commander and chief, Standardization and Evaluation until 1983 when he transferred to Headquarters Iowa National Guard as Executive Support Officer to the adjutant general. In 1985, General Pierce returned to the 132d Fighter Wing as the 124th Fighter Squadron Operations Officer and held that position until 1990 when he was selected as the Operations Group commander. He became the vice commander for the 132d Fighter Wing in 1999 until he was transferred to Headquarters Iowa Air National Guard as the vice commander in 2002. In 2004, General Pierce assumed the duties as assistant adjutant general, Air.
1968 Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
1981 Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
1981 Master of Science degree in Personnel Management & Counseling, Troy State University, Troy, Alabama
1985 National Security Management Course, by correspondence
1994 Air War College, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
1. January 1969 - April 1969, Officer Training School, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
2. April 1969 - June 1970, Undergraduate Pilot Training, 3550th Student Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Georgia
3. June 1970 - September 1970, T-37 pilot instructor training, 3251st Flying Training Squadron, Perrin Air Force Base, Texas
4. September 1970 - June 1972, T-37 instructor pilot, 3575th Pilot Training Squadron, Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma
5. June 1972 - October 1973, squadron class commander, 71st Student Squadron, Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma
6. October 1973 - April 1974, chief, T-37 Section, Student Branch, 71st Student Squadron, Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma
7. November 1974 - June 1975, F-100 Operational Training Course, 162d Tactical Fighter Training Group, Tucson, Arizona
8. June 1975 - August 1976, scheduling officer, 124th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Des Moines, Iowa
9. August 1976 - January 1977, training officer, 124th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Des Moines, Iowa
10. January 1977 - Jun 1977, A-7 operational training course, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
11. June 1977 - August 1980, chief of Standardization/Evaluation, 132d Tactical Fighter Wing, Des Moines, Iowa
12. August 1980 - July 1981, student, Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
13. July 1981 - June 1983, chief of standardization/evaluation, 132d Tactical Fighter Wing, Des Moines, Iowa
14. June 1983 - March 1985, executive support staff officer, Headquarters Iowa Air National Guard, Johnston, Iowa
15. March 1985 - June 1990, squadron operation officer, 124th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Des Moines, Iowa
16. June 1990 - July 1993, director of operations, 132d Tactical Fighter Wing, Des Moines, Iowa
17. July 1993 - June 1994, student, Air War College, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
18. June 1994 - November 1995, operations group commander, 132d Fighter Wing, Des Moines, Iowa
19. November 1995 - October 1999, vice commander, 132d Fighter Wing, Des Moines, Iowa
20. October 1999 - October 2002, wing commander, 132d Fighter Wing, Des Moines, Iowa
21. October 2002 - June 2004, chief of staff, Headquarters Iowa Air National Guard, Johnston, Iowa
22. June 2004 - Present, assistant adjutant general, Air, Joint Forces Headquarters Iowa Air National Guard, Johnston, Iowa
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 5,800
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, F-100, A-7 and F-16C
Pilot Wings from: Moody Air Force Base, GA
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal with one silver leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal with two bronze stars
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service Award with one silver cluster and three oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with one silver hourglass
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (pistol)
Air Force Training Ribbon
Iowa National Guard State Service Ribbon with one silver leaf cluster
Second Lieutenant 31 March 1969
First Lieutenant 30 September 1970
Captain 30 March 1972
Major 27 December 1979
Lieutenant Colonel 4 February 1984
Colonel 15 June 1990
Brigadier General 7 January 2003
(Current as of April 2006)
The date of publication indicated on this biography reflects the most recent update. It does not necessarily reflect the date of printing.