Donald C. Wurster | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | Donny |
Born | Washington, D.C. |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 1973–2011 |
Rank | Lieutenant General |
Commands held | Air Force Special Operations Command Special Operations Command Pacific 16th Special Operations Wing 16th Operations Group 21st Special Operations Squadron |
Battles/wars | Gulf War Filipino Insurgency |
Awards | Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal (3) Legion of Merit (2) |
Lieutenant General Donald C. Wurster is a retired United States Air Force officer who served as Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The command is a major command of the United States Air Force and the Air Force component of United States Special Operations Command. AFSOC provides Air Force Special Operations Forces for worldwide deployment and assignment to unified combatant commanders. The command has approximately 12,900 active-duty, Reserve, Air National Guard and civilian professionals.
Born in Washington, D.C., Wurster was commissioned in 1973 upon graduation from the United States Air Force Academy. In 1974, he completed undergraduate helicopter training at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Wurster commanded special operations forces at the squadron, group, wing and subunified command level, and he served as commander of all United States forces assigned to Joint Task Force-510 during Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines. Wurster was Deputy Director, Center for Special Operations, United States Special Operations Command, from May 2004 to February 2006.
Wurster is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours, including assignments in both rescue and special operations. [1]
His brother, Charles D. Wurster, retired in 2008 as a vice admiral in the United States Coast Guard. The Wurster family has a record of military service dating back to the Revolutionary War. As three-star flag officers, the brothers hold the highest rank of anyone in their family. Their father, retired USAF Colonel Charles Wurster, was a F-51 and F-80 (P-80) pilot with the 36th Fighter Squadron in the Korean War and became one of only three pilots to score more than one "kill" in all of 1950. [2]
US Air Force Command Pilot Badge | |
Basic Parachutist Badge | |
Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge | |
Headquarters Air Force Badge |
Wurster retired from the United States Air Force on 24 June 2011, handing over command of AFSOC to Lieutenant General Eric E. Fiel in a ceremony held at Hurlburt Field. His official retirement date was August 1, 2011.
"Lt. Gen. Wurster has been a brilliant and strong leader," said Admiral Eric Olson, commander of the United States Special Operations Command. "He led by always putting people first in the air and on the ground. Today is more than a transfer of authority. We say goodbye to a great leader and friend ... Gen. Fiel will now bring his own vision,” Olson added. "There will be challenges, but I've seen him face challenges before and overcome many obstacles. In the transition from one commander to another, I know (AFSOC) will continue to excel."
Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz presided over the ceremony. "This is a great time to be amongst the Special Operations Squadron," Schwartz said. "Gen. Wurster will now get to enjoy fishing, hunting and life after command service. This is a new and tremendous chapter for you." [3] [4]
Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation and is home to Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the 1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW), the USAF Special Operations School (USAFSOS) and the Air Combat Command's (ACC) 505th Command and Control Wing. It was named for First Lieutenant Donald Wilson Hurlburt, who died in a crash at Eglin. The installation is nearly 6,700 acres (27 km2) and employs nearly 8,000 military personnel.
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command to United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), a unified combatant command located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. AFSOC provides all Air Force Special Operations Forces (SOF) for worldwide deployment and assignment to regional unified combatant commands.
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This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Air Force