Colonel Thomas P. Sherman is the 88th Air Base Wing and Installation Commander at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. He commands one of the largest air base wings in the Air Force with more than 5,500 Air Force military, civilian and contractor employees. The wing provides support and services to one of the largest, most diverse, and most organizationally complex bases in the Air Force including a major acquisition center, research and development laboratories, a major command headquarters, an airlift wing, and the world’s largest military air museum. The base is home to more than 27,000 employees and is the largest single site employer in the state of Ohio.
Colonel Sherman entered the Air Force after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in 1995. He is a seven-time commander and has held a variety of leadership, staff, and command positions with experience at the squadron, group, wing, center and Joint Staff levels as well as in deployed combat, contingency, and humanitarian environments. He is a qualified jumpmaster and senior parachutist and possesses a secondary qualification as an Air Force Political-Military Affairs Strategist.
EDUCATION
1995 Bachelor of Science, Political Science, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado
2001 Squadron Officers School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2002 Secretary of the Air Force Language and Area Studies Immersion Course, Florence, Italy
2004 Master of Arts, Criminal Justice, California State University San Bernardino (AFIT), California
2007 United States Army Jumpmaster School
2009 Master of Arts, National Security Affairs, Naval Post Graduate School (IDE), California
2014 Distinguished Graduate, Master of Science, National Security Strategy, National War College, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
2015 National and International Security Leadership Seminar, Capitol Hill Workshop, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1995 – July 1997: Assistant Operations Officer, Air Base Defense Flight Commander, 62d Security Police Squadron, McChord AFB, Washington
2. July 1997 – January 1998: Operations Officer, 62d Security Forces Squadron, McChord AFB, Washington
3. January 1998 – January 1999: Flight Leader, Mobile Reserve Commander, 8th Security Forces Squadron, Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea (Jan – Apr 1998, Chief of Security Forces, 3rd Air Expeditionary Group, Kwang Ju AB, Republic of Korea)
4. January 1999 – June 2001: Flight Commander, GSU Liaison Officer, 31st Security Forces Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy
5. July 2001 – October 2001: Chief of Security Forces, Flight Commander, 763rd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates
6. October 2001 – August 2002: Commander, 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates
7. September 2002 – April 2004: AFIT Student, California State University at San Bernardino, California
8. April 2004 – May 2006: Deputy Chief, Requirements Branch, HQ Air Force Security Forces Center, Lackland AFB, Texas (March – September 2005, Commander, 447th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, Sather AB, Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq)
9. May 2006 – July 2008: Commander, 786th Security Forces Squadron, Sembach Annex, Germany
10. September 2008 – December 2009: IDE Student, Naval Postgraduate School, California
11. January 2010 – May 2012: Chief, NMCC Systems Operations Branch (J-39) and Chief, NMCC Security and Configuration Branch (J-36), Joint Staff, Pentagon
12. May 2012 – May 2013: Commander, 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan
13. July 2013 – July 2014: SDE Student, National War College, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
14. July 2014 – July 2016: Commander, 37th Training Group, JBSA-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas
15. July 2016 – July 2017: Chief, Protection Services Division, Air Force Installation Mission Support Center, JBSA-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas
16. August 2017 – June 2018: Commander, Detachment 1, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
17. June 2018 – Present: Commander, 88th Air Base Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Kosovo Campaign Medal with campaign star device
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star device
Iraqi Campaign Medal with campaign star device
Korean Defense Service Medal
NATO Medal with device
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
Second Lieutenant May 31, 1995
First Lieutenant May 31, 1997
Captain May 31, 1999
Major August 1, 2005
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2009
Colonel October 1, 2014
(Current as of June 2018)