Col. Joelee D. Sessions is the commander of the 182nd Air Support Operation Group, 182nd Airlift Wing, Peoria, Illinois. He is responsible for all mission, training, and personnel and development activities.
Col. Sessions enlisted as a pneudraulic systems specialist with the Missisppi Air National Guard in March 1991 and commissioned through the Academy of Military Science in 1994. He attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, and earned his pilot wings in 1995. Col. Sessions has instructed Emirati and Indian C-17 Globemaster III pilots and participated in several operational deployments, including Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.
Col. Sessions also responded to Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Maria as a member of a Contingency Response Force and served on the National Guard Bureau Crisis Action Team in response to Hurricane Irma. Prior to his current position, the colonel was the commander of and built the new the 156th Contingency Response Group, Muñiz Air National Guard Base, Puerto Rico.
EDUCATION
1992 Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Mississippi State University, Starkville
1994 Officer Training School, Academy of Military Science, McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tenn.
2003 Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2008 Air Command-Staff College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2016 Air War College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 1991 – November 1994, Pneudraulic Systems Specialist, 172nd Airlift Wing, Jackson, Miss.
2. November 1994 – December 1995, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, Texas
3. December 1995 – December 1996, C141B Pilot, 172nd Airlift Wing, Jackson, Miss.
4. December 1996 – September 1997, Flight Safety Officer, 172nd Airlift Wing, Jackson, Miss.
5. September 1997 – September 1998, Quality Assurance Officer, 172d Airlift Wing, Jackson, Miss.
6. September 1998 – September 2001, C-141B Aircraft Commander, 172d Airlift Wing, Jackson, Miss.
7. September 2001 – September 2004, C-141C Instructor Pilot/Aircraft Commander, 172d Airlift Wing, Jackson, Miss.
8. September 2004 – April 2008, C-17A Aircraft Commander, 172d Airlift Wing, Jackson, Miss.
9. April 2008 – April 2012, Chief of Wing Plans, 172d Airlift Wing, Jackson, Miss.
10. April 2012 – June 2015, Flight Commander/Assistant Director of Operations, 183rd Airlift Squadron, Jackson-Evers Field, Jackson, Miss.
11. June 2015 – March 2018, Commander, 172nd Airlift Control Flight, Jackson-Evers Field, Jackson, Miss.
12. March 2018 – February 2020, Commander, 172nd Contingency Response Flight, Jackson-Evers Field, Jackson, Miss.
13. February 2020 – January 2024, Commander, 156th Contingency Response Group, Muñiz Air National Guard Base, Puerto Rico
14. January 2024 – Present, Commander, 182nd Air Support Operations Group, Peoria, Ill.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: senior officer
Flight hours: 7,748.2
Aircraft flown: T-37B, T-1A, C-141B, C-141C, C-17A, 727
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
STATE AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Mississippi Medal of Efficiency
Mississippi War Medal
Mississippi Emergency Service Medal
Mississippi Longevity Medal with three oak leaf clusters
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
National Guard Association of the United States (lifetime member)
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Nov. 17, 1994
First Lieutenant Nov. 17, 1996
Captain Nov. 17, 1998
Major March 10, 2003
Lieutenant Colonel March 10, 2010
Colonel Oct. 3, 2020
(Current as of March 2024)