Col. Gentry Boswell is commander of the 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., the largest B-1 combat wing in the U.S. Air Force, with 27 aircraft and more than 3,800 military and civilian members.
Colonel Boswell received his commission in 1991 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at Delta State University, Miss. His assignments encompass operational tours in the B-1B, RC-135 and E-6B, as well as, joint operational and staff duty. He has served as an instructor and evaluator in all three weapons systems.
Colonel Boswell's joint assignments include two tours at U.S. Strategic Command, where he served as Deputy Director of the J9 Mission Assessment and Analysis Directorate which conducts mission assessments and provides alternative futures research to address key challenges across the full spectrum of the USSTRATCOM's assigned mission areas. He also served as the Director of Operations for the Airborne Command Post Battlestaff, organizing and executing operations and the modernization of the Nuclear Command and Control structure for USSTRATCOM airborne command assets.
Prior to this assignment, Colonel Boswell was a director in the Air Force Operations Division at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. In that capacity, he led the directorate responsible for more than $600 billion in department-level programming over the Future Years Defense Plan. He served as the executive agent for the Air Force Flying Hour Program totaling more than $10 billion annually, and led the planning and execution of all Air Force joint and flag exercises.
Colonel Boswell is an Air War College graduate, where he was awarded the Homeland Security and Defense Award for his published research on Department of Defense support to U.S. border defense. He is a distinguished graduate of Air Command and Staff College and also won the Warrior Scholar Award. Colonel Boswell is also a recipient of the Mike Gilroy Award as the top graduate of the Joint Aviation Electronic Warfare School, as well as, a distinguished graduate of the B-1B Flight Instructor Course and B-1B Initial Qualification Course.
Colonel Boswell is a B-1 weapon systems officer with more than 4,500 hours in the B-1B, RC-135 and E-6B, including 500 hours of combat time in Southwest Asia, the Balkans and the Horn of Africa.
EDUCATION
1991 Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management, Delta State University, Miss.
1998 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2001 Master of Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, Ariz.
2005 Master of Military Operational Science, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Joint Forces Command Advanced Warfighting School, Norfolk, Va.
2011 Master of Strategic Studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. April 1992 - January 1993, Undergraduate Navigator Training, Mather AFB, Calif.
2. January 1993 - May 1993, Combat Crew Training School, Castle AFB, Calif.
3. June 1993 - August 1998, Wing Standards and Evaluations, 55th Wing, Offutt AFB, Neb.
4. August 1998 - February 1999, B-1 Initial Qualification Course, 28th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB,
Texas
5. March 1999 - June 2002, Assistant Director of Operations, 77th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth AFB,
S.D.
6. July 2002 - August 2004, Director of Flight Training, 28th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
7. August 2004 - June 2005, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
8. July 2005 - June 2007, Director of Operations, J317, USSTRATCOM, Offutt AFB, Neb.
9. June 2007 - September 2008, Director of Operations, 37th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
10. October 2008 - June 2010, Commander, 28th Operations Support Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
11. July 2010 - June 2011, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
12. July 2011 - July 2012, Deputy Director, Mission Assessment and Analysis, USSTRATCOM J9,
Offutt AFB, Neb.
13. July 2012 - July 2014, Vice Commander, 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
14. July 2014 - June 2015, Director, Air Force Readiness and Exercises, HQ Air Force, A3,
Washington, D.C.
15. June 2015 - Present, Commander, 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with eight oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award
AF Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device and seven oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal with four oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal with two stars
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border with two oak leaf clusters
NATO Medal
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Master Navigator
Flight hours: 4,500
Combat hours: 500
Aircraft: B-1B, RC-135, and E-6B
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 11, 1991
First Lieutenant Oct. 23, 1993
Captain Oct. 23, 1995
Major Aug. 1, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 1, 2006
Colonel Aug. 1, 2011
(Current as of June 2015)