CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
This month’s West Virginia National Guard Warrant Officer spotlight shines on Chief Warrant Officer 3 Allison Dunfee, who currently serves as an C-12 pilot with Detachment 28, Operational Support Airlift Activity (OSA-A) in Williamstown, West Virginia.
Dunfee began her West Virginia Army National Guard career 13 years ago in 2007. She originally enlisted as a 15N, Avionics Technician, but after a deployment to Afghanistan working on radios and electrical systems on UH-60 Blackhawks, she decided she wanted to pursue flying herself. In 2011, she earned her commission through the Warrant Officer program as a 153DD medical evacuation pilot on the UH-60. In 2017, she made the switch from rotary wing platforms to fixed wing aircraft with the C-12.
Aviation has been a part of her family history since World War II, when her grandfather, John “Jack” Deddens flew as a navigator aboard B-25 Mitchell bombers. What Dunfee describes as the best day of her life was her graduation from Army Aviation Flight School when her grandfather pinned his wings from WWII to her uniform, thus forever cementing the familial aerial bond between them.
Dunfee holds a Bachelor in the Science of Aeronautics, and works as a First Officer with Republic Airways in her civilian career.
When not in the air in uniform or in her civilian job, Dunfee enjoys training with her two dogs, Athena and Apollo, working on her rail-buggy, and spending time with her family and friends, to include her husband, CW3 Casey Dunfee.
When asked what advice she would give to others thinking about commissioning as a Warrant Officer, Dunfee stated:
“Identify where you want to be and what you want to be doing 10 years from now. Then talk to someone currently performing that job to gain more insight and access if that is truly the right career path for you and your family. I am exceptionally proud to be a Warrant Officer. The sky is the limit!”