Colonel Clinton Wilson is the Commander, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait. The wing, comprised of over 6,000 Airmen and coalition partners at six geographically separated airfields, provides air mobility, precision strike, personnel recovery, electronic attack, logistics operations, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets in support of operations throughout Southwest Asia. Approximately 400 of the wing’s Airmen are filling Joint Expeditionary Taskings in support of U.S. Army combat support requirements at forward operating bases in Southwest Asia.
Colonel Wilson earned a Bachelor of Science in Range, Wildlife and Fisheries Management from Texas Tech University and was commissioned in May 1998. He has served as a combat deputy operations group commander, squadron commander, flight commander, flight examiner, instructor and aircrew pilot in multiple aircraft. He has over 3,200 hours total flight time, 490 combat/combat support sorties and over 1,200 combat/combat support hours. Colonel Wilson has served multiple tours supporting operations Joint Forge, Joint Guardian, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Inherent Resolve and is Joint Qualified.
Prior to his current assignment, Colonel Wilson was the Commander, 317th Operations Group, Dyess AFB, Texas.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Science in Range, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2007 Masters of Business Administration, Trident University International, Calif.
2009 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2012 Legislative Fellow, Master’s Certificate of Legislative Affairs and Public Policy, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
2016 Masters of Strategic Studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
- June 1998-June 1999, Special Assistant to the Commander, Air Force ROTC Detachment 820, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
- June 1999-January 2000, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance Air Force Base, Okla.
- January 2000-September 2000, Advanced Multi-Engine Pilot Training, VT-35, Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, Texas
- September 2000-September 2005, C-130E/H Pilot, Aircraft Commander, Instructor/Evaluator Pilot with Unit Deployment Manager, Operations Flight Commander and Assistant Chief of Standardization & Evaluations experience, 40th Airlift Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
- September 2005-August 2008, KC-135R/T/RT Aircraft Commander/Instructor Aircraft Commander, B-Flight Commander, Scheduling Flight Commander, and Chief, Operations Group Mobility, 349th Air Refueling Squadron and 22 Operations Support Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
- August 2008-May 2009, Chief, Senior Leader Management, Third Air Force, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
- May 2009-June 2010, Chief, Commander’s Action Group, Third Air Force, Ramstein AB, Germany
- June 2010-June 2011, Executive Officer to the Third Air Force Commander, Ramstein AB, Germany
- June 2011-December 2012, USAF Legislative Fellow, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
- July 2013–June 2015, Commander, 317th Operations Support Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas, (September 2014-January 2015, Deputy Commander, 455th Expeditionary Operations Group, Bagram AB, Afghanistan)
- June 2015–June 2016, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
- September 2016–December 2017, Chief, Air Operations and Programs, Office of Defense Cooperation, Ankara, Turkey
- December 2017–July 2019, Chief, Force Development Policy Integration Division, JBSA Randolph, Texas
- July 2019–June 2021, Commander, 317th Operations Group, Dyess AFB, Texas
- June 2021-Present, Commander, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 3,200 hours
Aircraft Flown: T-37, C-12C/D, C-130E/H/J, KC-135R/T/RT
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Combat Action Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 1, 1998
First Lieutenant June 1, 2000
Captain June 1, 2002
Major January 1, 2008
Lieutenant Colonel November 1, 2012
Colonel January 1, 2019
(Current as of June 2021)