AIR NATIONAL GUARD 

GENERAL OFFICER BIOGRAPHY GUIDEBOOK

1 January 2020

(All previous versions are obsolete)

SUBMITTING BIOGRAPHIES TO NGB-GO

Official photographs and biographies are an important representation of the Air National 

Guard and its officers. Every attempt should be made to ensure the appearance of the 

photograph and biography accurately represent the officer. It is the general officer’s 

responsibility to maintain his/her biography in adherence to the guidelines specified in 

this guidebook.

To update General Officer (GO) biographies, the GO or staff POC will submit a final 

biography, reviewed by the state Military Personnel Management Officer (MPMO), to 

MSgt Kelvin Tyler, kelvin.d.tyler.mil@mail.mil. The MPMO must review the updated 

bio and photo in adherence to the applicable biography handbook and Air Force (AF) 

Instructions

The following documents must be submitted in separate files and include the general 

officer’s name and state in the subject line. Subject: ANG Bio – Smith, J., NYANG

1. Biography in word doc.

2. Official photo in 300 dpi jpeg file

3. Attach background documents: Complete vMPF color printout and/or MilPDS

product that shows member’s assignments, deployments, awards and

decorations.

Bios, vMPF/MilPDS documents and photo should be submitted to NGB-GO within 30 

days upon GO’s promotion and/or re-assignment order.

Publication to the National Guard public website may take up to 15 working days upon

receipt of completed/required biography.

Note: System limitations may include format changes to GO biographies.
FIRST TIME BIOGRAPHIES

- Open a new word document.

- Narrative must be limited to 200 words.

- 1” margins (top, bottom, left, right).

- Do not include any bullets or numerical auto-formatting.

- Font for all text will be 12 point, Arial font.

- Do not insert photo in word doc (Photo is a separate attachment sent as a jpeg

file (at least 300 dpi).

- Do not use nicknames or “go-by” name.

- Abbreviate GOs rank on first reference (not including header). For example,

Major General John B. Doe will be abbreviated as Maj. Gen. John B. Doe at the

beginning of the first paragraph in the narrative.

- General and colonel will be used generically throughout the rest of the narrative. For

example, use “General Doe” or “Colonel Doe”.

- Do not mark document as read-only file.

- Spell out all acronyms on first reference and then abbreviate. (Keep “military speak”

to a minimum).

- Do not add a blank space under each section title.

- Do not list any privacy act information (i.e. family, social security number or home of

record).

- Do not list awards not on the vMPF/MilPDS document.

- Do not list awards not worn in official photo (including state awards).

- Do not insert State or NGB headings or banners in word doc.

- When listing devices, do not capitalize, e.g., oak leaf cluster, bronze star.

- When listing number of accoutrements, spell out numbers two through nine.

- When decoration has only one device, write as “with oak leaf cluster”.

- Abbreviate month when used with day: Oct. 2, 2016.

- Spell out months when only used with a year: January 2015.

- Spell out Air Force Base or Air National Guard on first reference, use AFB or ANG

on subsequent references throughout entire biography.

UPDATING EXISTING BIOGRAPHIES

Take the current biography from the public website 

http://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/NGB-GOMO, convert to Microsfot Word and 

highlight areas that the member is requesting to be changed, added, or deleted. 

Highlighted changes and additions should be in yellow and the deletions should be 

identified by using the strikethrough (i.e. National Guard). 

Note1: Ensure adherence to all instructions listed in the above “First Time Biographies.”
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS

Dates in AP Style:

Abbreviate months only when used with dates. 

- Only abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.

- March, April, May, June and July are always spelled out.

- Only use commas when day-dates are used.

Examples:

Jan. 14, 2012

January 2012

April 14, 2012

April 2012

States in AP Style

Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Conn., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Kan., Ky., La., Md., 

Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., Neb., Nev., N.H., N.J., N.M., N.Y., N.C., N.D., 

Okla., Ore., Pa., R.I., S.C. , S.D., Tenn., Vt., Va.,Wash., W.Va., Wis.,Wyo. 

- Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Texas, Utah and Virgin

Islands are always spelled out.

- All states are spelled out when they stand alone without a city.

Examples:

General Smith was born in Omaha, Neb.

General Smith was born in Nebraska.

Note: A sample bio is provided in the last pages of this handbook. Use attached 

sample as a guide to write the biography.
GUIDELINES BY SECTION

Section 1: Narrative (Current assignment, location, job responsibilities)

Start by listing abbreviated rank, first name, middle initial, last name, current duty title, 

location and position description. Do not include enlisted information. If the GO is 

performing an additional state duty, it is listed after the assigned position. If the GO is

dual-hatted in a National Guard Assistant Program (NGAP) position, it will be listed after 

the primary duty. This paragraph should also include a description of the position 

responsibilities and quantifiable statistics to further detail managerial oversight of 

dollars, equipment and personnel.

The second paragraph usually gives information about college or officer training for 

commissioning, and the most prestigious/important assignments (graduate of, number 

of years active duty, number of years as a Guardsman, etc.). The narrative should not 

be a 'list' of assignments. This paragraph can also provide other noteworthy military 

assignments, such as contingency experience or deployments (the only specific 

locations that can released in reference to deployments are Balad Air Base, Iraq, or 

Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan; otherwise, just use the generic term Southwest Asia). The 

final sentence of the narrative is recommended to read “prior to his/her current 

position/assignnment, the “rank” was the (position title, organization, base and 

location).”

Section 2: EDUCATION

- Format is: YEAR (one space) Level and Type, Name of School, City, State (i.e.

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering).

- States are not necessary when included in college name (University of Georgia,

Athens).

- List both civilian and military education in chronological order from earliest to the most

recent. Only list courses longer than a week. EXCEPTION: All senior service

colleges or equivalent may be listed (service component war college and fellowships).

If military education is not completed in-residence, substitute “by correspondence” for

City, State.

- All school names must be spelled out.

- Only the state can be abbreviated in this section.

Section 3: ASSIGNMENTS

- List in chronological order, starting with first assignment upon commissioning.

- Format is: Month Year – Month Year, Official Duty Title, Base, State. Squadron/

unit are not necessary but can be included.

- First letter of duty titles are capitalized.

- Assignments must reflect the same dates, position titles and location as on the

OPR in GOs ARMS/PRDA record. Do not list any enlisted assignments.

- Abbreviate AFB or ANG or ANGB.

- Only the state can be abbreviated in this section, not the months of the year.

- There should be no gaps between assignment dates.
Assignment Example: 

1. February 1986 - May 1986, Student, Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell

AFB, Ala.

- Deployments are included in parenthesis and in the same line as the corresponding

“Assignment”.

Deployment Assignment Example:

1. June 2008 - October 2012, Commander, 145th Operations Group, Charlotte, N.C,

(September 2008 - January 2009, Deputy Commander, 455th Operations Group,

Bagram, Afghanistan)

- Joint Duty Assignments (JDA) will also be included in this section. Please annotate

“Joint Duty Assignment” at the conclusion of assignment information.

- Each entry will end with a statement of the rank held for the joint assignment (i.e. “...,

as a brigadier general”).

Joint Duty Assignment Examples: 

1. October 2014 - August 2016, Commander, 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath,

England, (February 2015 - August 2015, Commander, Air Expeditionary Wing,

Southwest Asia, Joint Duty Assignment, as a brigadier general)

2. September 2016 - March 2017, Deputy Commander, Joint Task Force-Guantanamo,

United States Southern Command, Cuba AE, Joint Duty Assignment

as brigadier general

NOTE: Although JDAs will be submitted in this section with all other non-JDA 

assignments, they will also be published in a separate section titled: SUMMARY 

OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS.

If duty is a Joint Duty Assignment, submit a copy of the GOs JMIS report verifying JDA 

credit. The JDAL number or self-nominated experience memo signed by the Director of 

the Joint Staff, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) will also be accepted.

Examples of joint duty assignements include: Chairman’s Reserve Positions (CRP), 

Joint Pool positions, JDAL/IMA CJCS nominative positions, experience based joint duty 

assignments/deployments in which the member received approved credit captured in 

the JMIS report.

Inquiries/question(s) regarding JDAL certification, should be directed to the NGB-GO

Joint Officer Management (JOM) Branch at 703-607-1924 or 703-607-1462.

Section 4: FLIGHT INFORMATION

- May not apply to all general officers. If this does not apply, do not include this header

in the biography.

- List rating, military flight hours and military aircraft flown (do not list civilian aircraft or

civilian flight time).

- List military aircraft in alphabetical and in numerical order.
Format is:

Rating:

Flight hours:

Aircraft flown:

Section 5: MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

- List awards in order of precedence.

- Do not abbreviate official award names.

- Any award listed must be shown on the accompanying official photo. If new awards

have been added to the biography, then a new photo must be taken. If wearing state

awards in photo they must be listed in biography. State awards not shown in photo will

not be listed in biography.

- Format is:

Full Name of Award with oak leaf cluster OR with two oak leaf clusters

(The number “one” is unnecessary.)

- Colonels and General Officers meeting a General Officer Federal Recongiton Board

will only list Achievement Medals and higher honors. Post board, GOMO will accept

changes to include all awards and decorations as listed on the vMPF printout.

- Ribbons are not listed unless significant, such as the Oustanding Airman of the Year

Ribbon and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal.

- Accoutrements are not capitalized.

- Oak leaf clusters are not separated between the number of bronze oak leaf clusters

and the number of silver oak leaf clusters. For example, two bronze oak leaf clusters

plus three silver oak leaf clusters should be worded as “five oak leaf clusters”.

- Officers in Title 10 status may not wear State awards or ribbons per AFI 36-2903, 11.3.

- Active duty regulations allow service members on active duty status (Title 10) to

accept but not to wear state awards. If serving in an Extended Active Duty position in

Title 10, only list federal awards.

- Do not list awards that are not displayed on vMPF Awards and Decorations printout or

not displayed in official photo, to include state awards.

Awards and Decorations Examples:

Distinguished Service Medal

Defense Superior Service Medal with two bronze stars 

Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster

Armed Forces Reserve Medal with silver hourglass and five ‘M’ devices

Section 6: CIVILIAN OCCUPATION Optional 

- For those who wish to list their current civilian position, please do not list privacy act

information (i.e. home of record, names of family members, place of worship etc.).

- List only current civilian occupation title, company name and a brief description of

duties.

- Do not list names of companies (i.e. if the GO is a pilot for American Airlines – simply

state “In his/her civilian capacity, the general is a pilot with a major airline.”).
Section 7: OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS Optional

- For those who wish to include this information, please list in chronological order from

earliest to most recent.

- Do not use abbreviations.

- Do not list privacy act information.

Examples:

1984 Distinguished Graduate, Undergraduate Pilot Training

1992 Instructor Pilot of the Year

Section 8: EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Format is: 

Rank (AP Style – spelled out) (one space) date (AP Style – Month, Day, Year)

Examples:

Second Lieutenant Dec. 29, 1972 

First Lieutenant May 1, 1975 

Captain May 1, 1977 

Major Oct. 1, 1984 

Lieutenant Colonel June 18, 1993 

Colonel Aug. 1, 1997 

Brigadier General March 1, 2003
BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN R. GUARD

Assistant Adjutant General – Air, Louisiana 

Only use the abbreviated rank and legal name (i.e. Brig. Gen. John R. Guard). Always 

spell out colonel, do not abbreviate. Nicknames and “go-by” names will not be utilized. 

The paragraph should state the General’s current authorized position per the memo 

from the Chief, National Guard Bureau titled “General Officer Authorizations” or NGAP 

Selection Memo from NGB-GO. This paragraph specifies duty description, impact and 

responsibilities. If applicable, add quantifiable statistics to further detail managerial 

oversight of dollars and personnel.

For Example: Brig. Gen. John R. Guard serves as Special Assistant to the Chief, 

National Guard Bureau. His responsibilities include development and implementation of 

National Guard Bureau strategy, policy, plans, initiatives and concepts related to war 

fighting; transformation; the State Partnership Program; theater security cooperation; 

federal and state homeland security; interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational 

coordination; and civil support. Under his vision and direction, General Guard is 

responsible for all aspects of personnel and training, for more than 7,600 Arimen 

assigned to the state and $50 million dollars’ worth in logistics readiness and 

equipment. 

If the General is performing an additional state duty, it is listed after the federally 

assigned position in a second paragraph. If the General is dual-hatted in the National 

Guard Assistant Program, the position will be listed after both the primary position and 

the additional state duty. This paragraph should also include a description of the 

position responsibilities (i.e. Brig. Gen. John R. Guard is the Assistant Adjutant General 

– Air, Maryland National Guard and also serves as the Commander, Maryland ANG. In

this dual-hat capacity, he is responsible for....) 

EDUCATION 

1983 Bachelor of Science in International Affairs, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado 

Springs, Colo. 

1994 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence 

1995 Master of Public Administration, honor graduate, Harvard University, Cambridge, 

Mass. 

1999 Master of Arts in Strategic Studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 

2003 Summer Program in History and Politics, University of Oxford, England 

2004 Combined Maritime Component Commanders Course, Naples, Italy 

2005 Joint Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

2008 Indiana University School of Law, Juris Doctorate, Bloomington

2008 Combined Maritime Component Commanders Course, Naples, Italy 

2010 National Defense University, CAPSTONE, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, 

D.C.

2010 Master of National Resource Strategy, National Defense University, Fort McNair,

Washington, D.C.

2010 Foreign Politics, International Relations and the National Interest, Seminar XXI,

ARIAL BOLD 18

Arial Bold 14

Arial 12
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

2011 National Security Studies Management Course, Syracuse University, Syracuse, 

N.Y.

2012 Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, 

N.C.

2013 Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, National and International

Security Program, Cambridge, Mass.

ASSIGNMENTS

1. August 1986 – July 1987, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Moody AFB, Ga.

2. August 1987 – January 1988, F-16 Instructor Pilot, 113th Wing, D.C. ANG, Andrews

AFB, Md.

3. February 1988 – February 1990, Commander, 169th Fighter Wing, McEntire ANGB,

S.C.

FLIGHT INFORMATION If applicable

Rating: Command Pilot

Flight hours: More than 4,000

Aircraft flown: C-130, C-131, F-15, F-106, T-33, T-37

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Defense Superior Service Medal 

Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters 

Distinguished Flying Cross with "V” device 

Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters 

Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters 

Aerial Achievement Medal 

Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster 

National Defense Service Medal with bronze star 

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal 

Afghanistan Campaign Medal with bronze star

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Korean Defense Service Medal

CIVILIAN OCCUPATION Optional

President and Chief Executive Officer of the Peregrine Leadership Institute located in 

Gillette and Casper, Wyoming. The company conducts leadership training, 

management consulting services and employee development programs for public and 

private sector organizations located in 11 states and three foreign countries.

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS Optional

1987 Arizona Air National Guard Outstanding Officer of the Year

2000 Distinguished Alumni Award, The Ohio State University

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Second Lieutenant Sept. 1, 1983 

First Lieutenant Sept. 1, 1985 
Captain Sept. 1, 1987 

Major March 1, 1994 

Lieutenant Colonel Jan. 1, 1997 

Colonel April 1, 2000 

Brigadier General June 1, 2007