News

Operations group says hello, goodbye to new commander

  • Published
  • By Sandra Pishner
  • 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash., --  If you haven't met the new 446th Operations Group commander yet, you'll have to wait a while longer.

Lt. Col. James Dignan, a former naval officer as well as a former Air National Guard Airman, has checked in for his duties here, but is on his way to fulfill a deployment tasking.

Before arriving at the 446th Airlift Wing, Colonel Dignan served as the deputy commander for the 512th Operations Group, Dover Air Force Base, Del.

A pilot with flying hours in the Navy's P-3, and the Air Force's C-130s, the Oregon native is thrilled to now be flying the C-17.

"When I take off with a light-load, I have to chuckle because it's just not right to see a plane this big with this much excess power," said Colonel Dignan.

Other than flying faster, higher, and farther, Colonel Dignan doesn't believe it was a big transition moving from propeller aircraft to a jet engine aircraft, saying the basic systems are similar enough. The real difference, he says, is being exposed to strategic airlift.

The C-17 is unique because it operates as both a strategic and tactical airlift flying machine.

Transitioning from one system to another is old hat for the colonel. After graduating from college, he initially started to work for Intel Corporation. But he couldn't deny his desire to fly, and was accepted into the Navy's aviation program where he began flying the P-3 Patrol aircraft.

As with other military services, the Navy did some force shaping, and then-Lieutenant Dignan saw an opportunity to return home. With an assist from the 123rd Fighter Squadron commander, who was also his high school physics teacher, Colonel Dignan transferred to the Oregon Air National Guard into a non-flying position with the plan of securing a slot flying the unit's F-15 aircraft. But further draw downs with the unit at the Portland International Airport dashed any hopes of flying with the ORANG.

Finally, the persistent pilot found himself back on the flight deck in a C-130 with the Air Force Reserve in Willow Grove, Pa. From there, he has transitioned with AFRC through Mississippi, Alabama, Washington D.C., and Delaware before landing here - for a short time. Colonel Dignan leaves Sunday for a six-month deployment to Israel.

Colonel Dignan looks forward to returning to the 446th OG after his deployment, and expects to focus on helping return the group to the "new normal," as strategic airlift nears the end of the surge requirement which began in December 2009.

"I'm also going to focus on the three-legged stool that holds up our mission - family, employers and community," said Colonel Dignan. "To be successful, that stool needs to be stable."

Colonel Dignan is married to Simona Dignan and has three daughters. "With all my moving around, they're staying in my wife's home country of Slovakia until we can all settle down back here," said the colonel. "They are all looking forward to returning to the great Northwest."