Brig. Gen. David (DC) Cochran serves as the Assistant Adjutant General and Commander of the West Virginia Air National Guard. The West Virginia Air National Guard has over 2,150 members and consists of two flying units, the 130th Airlift Wing in Charleston, West Virginia, and the 167th Airlift Wing in Martinsburg, West Virginia. As the Assistant Adjutant General and Commander he provides command and control over all Air National Guard forces assigned to the state and is the principal advisor to the Adjutant General, on all matters related to the Air National Guard.
Brig. Gen. Cochran was commissioned in May 1989 through the United States Air Force Academy. In November 1990 he graduated from Pilot Training at Vance AFB, OK, and went on to fly the C-130E/H3 at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, with a follow-on assignment to the C-21 at Andrews AFB, Maryland. After departing active service in 1998 he joined the West Virginia Air National Guard. He is a command pilot with over 6,500 hours in the C-130E/H3, C-21, C-5A and C-17 aircraft. Brig. Gen. Cochran has served in a variety of operational assignments, contingency operations, and augmented National Guard Bureau staff. He has leadership and combat experience in several major contingency operations and has flown combat sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.
Prior to his current position, Brig. Gen. Cochran served as the Director of Operations for the West Virginia Air National Guard. He has served the 167th Airlift Wing as deputy commander of both the Operations Group and Maintenance Group and has also acted as commander for the 167th Operations Support Flight, 167th Airlift Squadron, logistics commander for the 167th Maintenance Group, Vice Commander and Wing Commander of the 167th Airlift Wing.
EDUCATION
1989 Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, United State Air Forces Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1995 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2004 Master of Science, Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
2004 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2008 Air War College, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 1989—November 1990, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, Enid, Okla.
2. December 1990—March 1991, C-130E Initial Qualification Training, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
3. April 1991—December 1991, Pilot, C-130E, 50 Tactical Airlift Squadron, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
4. January 1991—June 1992, Pilot, C-130E, 50th Airlift Squadron, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
5. July 1992—May 1993, Aircraft Commander, C-130E, 50th Airlift Squadron, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
6. June 1993—October 1994, Tactics Officer, C-130H3, 50th Airlift Squadron, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
7. November 1994–May 1995, Deputy Flight Commander, C-21, 457th Airlift Squadron, Andrews, AFB Md.
8. June 1995–November 1995, Flight Commander, C-21, 457th Airlift Squadron, Andrews AFB, Md.
9. December 1995–October 1998, C-21-Chief Standardization/Evaluation, 89th Operations Group, Andrews AFB, Md.
10. November 1998–December 2000, Aircraft Commander C-130H3, 167th Airlift Squadron, Martinsburg, W.Va.
11. January 2001–May 2004, Assistant Flight Commander, C-130H3, 167th Airlift Squadron, Martinsburg, W.Va.
12. June 2004–May 2006, Flight Commander, C-130H3, 167th Airlift Squadron, Martinsburg, W.Va.
13. June 2006–October 2006, Operational Support Flight Commander, 167th Airlift Wing, Martinsburg, W.Va.|
14. November 2006–September 2011, Squadron Commander, C-5A, 167th Airlift Squadron, Martinsburg, W.Va.
15. October 2011–August 2012, Operations Group Deputy Commander, 167th Operation Group, Martinsburg, W.Va.
16. September 2012—December 2012, Maintenance Group Deputy Commander, 167th Maintenance, Martinsburg, W.Va.\
17. January 2013—September 2013, Logistics Commander, 167th Maintenance Group, Martinsburg, W.Va.
18. October 2013—October 2018, Vice Commander, 167th Airlift Wing, Martinsburg, W.Va.
19. October 2018—January 2020, Commander, 167th Airlift Wing, Martinsburg, W.Va.
20. January 2020—July 2021, Director of Operations, Headquarters West Virginia Air National Guard, Charleston, W.Va.
21. July 2021 – Present, Assistant Adjutant General – Air, Headquarters West Virginia Air National Guard, Charleston, W.Va.
FLIGHT INFORMATION:
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 7,100
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, C-130E, C-130H3, C-21A, C-5A and C-17
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters with Valor device
Combat Readiness Medal with nine oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze star
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with bronze star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Air Force Overseas Ribbon – Short
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold border
Air Force Longevity Service with three oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” Device
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Training Ribbon
Kuwait Liberation Medal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
EFFECTIVE DATE OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 31, 1989
First Lieutenant May 31, 1991
Captain May 31, 1993
Major May 31, 2000
Lieutenant Colonel October 2, 2005
Colonel October 2, 2013
Brigadier General June 30, 2021
(Current as of July 2021)