Iowa Air National Guard taps Col. Mark Muckey as new Deputy Adjutant General
Sioux City native Col. Mark Muckey will serve as the Iowa Air National Guard's new Deputy Adjutant General.
Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Muckey's appointment Thursday, praising his years of military service and experience.
“Like the Iowa National Guard itself, Colonel Muckey has proven ‘always ready’ to protect and serve,” Reynolds said in a press release. "I want to congratulate Colonel Muckey for his coming promotion to Brigadier General and thank him for once again answering the call.”
Muckey's appointment also includes a promotion to the rank of Brigadier General, according to the release. He will replace Brigadier General Shawn Ford, who retired in August of this year.
Muckey brings nearly 40 years of military experience to the role, including over 4,000 flying hours and three deployments as part of Operation Joint Forge, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the release. His decades-long career has taken him from his hometown of Sioux City to Tulsa, Oklahoma and Illinois, and all the way back to Iowa. Muckey recognizes his career has been full of unexpected twists and turns, but he said he is grateful for the mentors who have guided him along the way.
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"I've been an unbelievable recipient of some phenomenal mentorship along the way, having the opportunity to participate with a lot of different teams, in the team, on the team, leading the team," he said. "I think a combination of both a breadth of experience and breadth of different experiences with what's been some great mentorship will be instrumental in helping me be effective in this new role."
Prior to his promotion to Deputy Adjutant General, where Muckey will oversee the 185th and 132nd Air Wings, he served as the commander for the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City. In his new role, Muckey will assist the Adjutant General Major General Benjamin Corell in overseeing and preparing nearly 2,000 personnel to support the U.S. Air Force and State of Iowa in missions to protect national security interests.
As he looks forward to his official appointment on Oct. 8, Muckey said he is eager to take a big picture, strategic approach to the Iowa Air National Guard's planning and preparedness.
"As we look strategically into the future, there is a lot of uncertainty and a lot of opportunity in future Air Force missions. From that perspective, the experiences that I've had will help me be a part of both defining where we want to take both wings in the future and helping to facilitate that. These are long range plans but important to get them started," he said.
Muckey has been the recipient of numerous military accolades and decorations, including the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Aerial Achievement Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, according to the release.
He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma State, the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College.
Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at @francescablock3.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Air National Guard taps new Deputy Adjutant General
