Major General Jeffrey T. Pennington receives Distinguished Service Medal at retirement ceremony

WARNER ROBINS—April 26, Robins Air Force Base hosted a retirement ceremony for Major General Jeffrey T. Pennington, honoring him for decades of dedicated service. 

Pennington served as the Deputy Commander of the Air Force Reserve Command at Robins Air Force Base. According to his biography, Pennington was responsible for the daily operations of the command, which consisted of approximately 70,000 Reserve Airmen and more than 300 aircraft among three numbered air forces, 34 flying wings, 10 flying groups, a space wing, a cyber wing and an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance wing. 

Pennington has an extensive education background. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Kansas State University in 1988. In 1995, he was a Distinguished Graduate from Squadron Officer School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. On August 12, 1998, Pennington was promoted to Second Lt. and moved up the ranks with ease. On April 29, 2021, he was promoted to Major General. 

In his time serving for the United States Air Force, Pennigton has been assigned to many different units. He has held many positions, such as Combat Crew Training Instructor, Operations Officer, Operations Group Commander, Standardization and Evaluation Aircraft Commander, Wing Commander, Numbered Air Force Director of Staff and Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Curtis E. LeMay Center. His most recent position before his retirement was the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander and President of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base. 

At his retirement ceremony, Pennington received the Distinguished Service Medal. According to a statement sent to the Journal, “the President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, awarded the Distinguished Service Medal to Major General Jeffrey T. Pennington for exceptionally meritorious service in duties of great responsibility.” 

The statement also said, “General Pennington provided operational leadership to more than 70,000 Airmen and was responsible for over 300 aircraft across three Numbered Air Forces to ensure the continued success of global operations.”

Under Pennington’s leadership, the Air Force Reserve Command supported Ukraine in its attempt to fight off Russian forces. 

The statement said, “Pennington’s Command deployed 270 reservists serving a combined 18,954 days while providing Russian and Ukrainian language capability to European Command, a total force F-35 dynamic force employment, enhancing aerial refueling capability with 16 KC-46 and KC-135 missions, and generating 72 C-130H tactical airlift missions and 43 C-17 and C-5 missions delivering 2,134 tons of cargo and 570 personnel.”

The statement said Pennington was “pivotal in ensuring Air Force Reserve Command acted as the execution arm in implementing the command’s two strategic priorities, readiness now, and transforming for the future in an age of Great Power Competition. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Major General Pennington reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”

Pennington also received the Outstanding Career Service Award. According to another statement sent to the Journal, “the distinctive accomplishments of Mr. Pennington culminate a long and distinguished career with the United States Government and reflect great credit upon himself and the Department of the Air Force.”

During Pennington’s retirement ceremony, he honored his late father. 

“One of the things that brought my dad the most joy in his life was my success in the Air Force,” he said.