Assistant Adjutant General - Air, Mississippi
Major General James Erik Hearon is the assistant adjutant general - Air, Mississippi Air National Guard, also serving as commander, Mississippi Air National Guard. General Hearon is responsible to the adjutant general for directing Air National Guard operations and establishing policy to ensure mission readiness of an air refueling wing, airlift wing, combat readiness training center, air support operations squadron, air control squadron and civil engineering squadron. He serves on the Air National Guard's Strategic Planning System; principally in the area of strategic communications. General Hearon also serves as the Air National Guard Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
General Hearon entered the Mississippi Air National Guard in January 1970. Upon completion of pilot training, he served as pilot in the C-130E and C-130H and instructor pilot in the C-141B and C-141C at the 172nd Airlift Wing, Jackson, Mississippi, where he commanded a flying squadron and group. General Hearon served from November 2002 until July 2003 at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar as Director of the Regional Air Movement Control Center - Afghanistan and Iraq. He was appointed Commander, 186th Air Refueling Wing, Meridian, Mississippi in September 2003 and Chief of Staff, Joint Force Headquarters - Mississippi Air National Guard in December 2005. General Hearon served on the Air Mobility Command Air Reserve Component Policy and Advisory Council and the Air Mobility Command KC-135 Requirements and Planning Council.
1970 Millsaps College, Bachelor of Arts, Accounting, Jackson, Mississippi
1994 Air War College, by correspondence
2000 Air Safety/Accident Investigation Board, President's Course, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico
2001 Director, Mobility Forces Course, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey
2004 Syracuse University, National Security Management Course, Syracuse, New York
1. Jul 1970 - April 1971, Pilot Trainee, 183rd Military Airlift Squadron, Thompson Field, Jackson, Mississippi
2. May 1971 - May 1972, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, 3526 Student Squadron, Williams Air Force Base, Arizona
3. May 1972 - April 1976, Co-Pilot, C-130E, 183rd Tactical Airlift Squadron, Thompson Field, Jackson, Mississippi
4. May 1976 - September 1977, Air Operations Officer, 172nd Tactical Airlift Group, Thompson Field, Jackson, Mississippi
5. September 1977 - September 1979, Pilot, C130E, 172nd Tactical Airlift Group, Thompson Field, Jackson, Mississippi
6. October 1979 - September 1984, Air Operations Officer, General, 172nd Tactical Airlift Group, Thompson Field, Jackson, Mississippi
7. October 1984 - February 1987, Command Post Controller, 172nd Tactical Airlift Group, Thompson Field, Jackson, Mississippi
8. February 1987 - August 1992, Aircraft Commander, C141B, 183rd Military Airlift Squadron, Thompson Field, Jackson Mississippi
9. August 1992 - March 1996, Operations Officer, 183rd Airlift Squadron, Thompson Field, Jackson, Mississippi
10. April 1996 - March 1997, Commander, 183rd Airlift Squadron, Thompson Field, Jackson, Mississippi
11. April 1997 - August 2003, Commander, 172nd Operations Group, Thompson Field, Jackson, Mississippi
12. November 2002 - July 2003, Director, Regional Air Movement Control Center, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
13. August 2003 - December 2005, Commander, 186th Air Refueling Wing, Key Field, Meridian, Mississippi
14. December 2005 - April 2006, Chief of Staff, Mississippi Air National Guard, Joint Force Headquarters, Mississippi Air National Guard, Jackson, Mississippi
15. April 2006 - Present, Assistant Adjutant General - Air, Joint Force Headquarters, Mississippi Air National Guard, Jackson, Mississippi
16. October 2008 - Present, Air National Guard Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
Rating: Instructor Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 5,700 hours
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, C-130E/H, C-141B/C, KC-135R
Pilot wings from: Williams Air Force Base, Arizona
Legion of Merit
Airman's Medal
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Air Medal (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (with 2 Silver Oak Leaf Clusters and 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Combat Readiness Medal (with 2 Silver Oak Leaf Clusters and 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
National Defense Service Medal (with 2 Bronze Service Stars)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal (with 3 Bronze Service Stars)
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Service Star)
Humanitarian Service Medal (with 3 Bronze Service Stars)
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Service Star)
Air Force Overseas Ribbon-Short (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon (with Gold Border)
Air Force Longevity Service Award (with 1 Silver Oak Leaf Cluster and 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with Gold Hourglass, 'M' Device and Numeral 4)
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Training Ribbon
Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Emirate of Kuwait)
Mississippi Magnolia Cross
Mississippi Magnolia Medal
Mississippi War Medal (with 2 Bronze Service Stars)
Mississippi Emergency Service Medal (with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Mississippi Service School Medal (with 3 Silver Oak Leaf Clusters)
Mississippi Longevity Medal (with 1 Silver Oak Leaf Cluster and 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
National Guard Association of the United States
National Guard Association of Mississippi
Life Associate Member, Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States
Life Associate Member of the Mississippi Non-Commissioned Officers Association
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants
Airlift/Tanker Association
Air Force Association
2003 Valley Forge Cross for Heroism awarded by the National Guard Association of the United States
1992 - Present, Volunteer Reserve Deputy Sheriff for Hinds County, Mississippi
Second Lieutenant 22 July 1970
First Lieutenant 22 July 1973
Captain 22 July 1977
Major 7 May 1982
Lieutenant Colonel 22 July 1991
Colonel 15 June 1997
Brigadier General 26 December 2005
Major General 1 August 2008
(Current as of November 2008)
The date of publication indicated on this biography reflects the most recent update. It does not necessarily reflect the date of printing.