Lt. Col. John Grucella is the Commander, 5th Air Support Operations Squadron, where he leads 110 Airmen consisting of U.S. Air Force Special Warfare Tactical Air Control Party, Special Warfare Mission Support, Intelligence, and civilian specialists who provide the U.S. Army’s 7th Infantry Division and subordinate units with strike, integration, command, and control capabilities. He is also the principal advisor to the 7th Infantry Division Commanding General on the integration of Airpower.
Lt. Col. Grucella entered the United States Air Force in June 1997 serving 12 years as an enlisted Tactical Air Control Party, Joint Terminal Attack Controller prior to commissioning through Officer Training School in September of 2009. Prior to his current position, Lt. Col. Grucella served as the Director of Operations at the 15th Air Support Operations Squadron, Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Lt. Col. Grucella was born in Newport Beach, Calif., and has had numerous assignments and deployments at many levels to include both Conventional and Special Operations Forces. Operationally, he served as the principal Airpower expert to U.S. Army and Coalition commanders integrating coalition air assets into the Ground Commander’s scheme of maneuver and provided control of air strikes on hostile targets. As a staff officer in Air Education and Training Command, he was the Operations Branch Chief for the Air Force Special Warfare Division and Air Force Special Warfare Officer Training Pipeline Manager. Lt. Col. Grucella has been married to his wife Brandy for 27 years and their daughter Sierra is a graduate of Texas A&M University.
EDUCATION
2007 Associate of Applied Science, Information Systems Technology, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell Air Force Base, Gunter Annex, Ala.
2008 Associate of Applied Science, Instructor of Technology and Military Science, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Gunter Annex, Ala.
2009 Bachelor of Science, Human Resources Development, Southwestern College, Olathe, Kan. (Cum Laude)
2009 Officer Training School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2010 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala. (Distinguished Graduate)
2014 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. (Distinguished Graduate)
2022 Master of Operational Studies, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1997 - July 1997, Basic Military Trainee, 323rd Training Squadron, Lackland AFB, Texas
2. July 1997- December 1998, Tactical Air Control Party Apprentice Trainee, Detachment 1, 342nd TRS, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
3. January 1998 - October 2000, Fighter Duty Technician, 682nd Air Support Operations Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
4. October 2000 - October 2002, Airborne Close Air Support Coordinator, 42nd Air Command and Control Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
5. October 2002 - January 2006, Joint Terminal Attack Controller, 682nd ASOS, Shaw AFB, S.C.
6. January 2006 - June 2009, TACP Instructor/Instructor Supervisor, Det. 1, 342nd TRS, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
7. June 2009 - September 2009, Officer Trainee, Officer Training School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
8. September 2009 - June 2012, Chief of Operations Training/Flight Commander, 7th ASOS Ft. Bliss, Texas
9. June 2012 – June 2014, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 93rd Air Ground Operations Wing, Moody AFB, Ga.
10. July 2014 – June 2018, Flight Commander/Assistant Director of Operations, 25th ASOS, Wheeler Army Air Field, Hawaii
11. June 2018 – March 2020, Operations Branch Chief, HQ AETC/A3S, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
12. March 2020 – June 2021, Director of Operations, Special Warfare Training Support Squadron, JBSA–Chapman Annex, Texas
13. June 2021 – June 2022, Student, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Ft Leavenworth, Kan.
14. June 2022 – May 2024, Director of Operations, 15th ASOS, Ft. Stewart, Ga.
15. June 2024 – Present, Commander, 5th ASOS, Joint Base Lewis–McChord, Wash.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Nonrated Enlisted Aircrew
Flight hours: 232
Aircraft flown: EC-130E
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Army Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Combat Action Medal with gold star device
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Lifetime member, Tactical Air Control Party Association
Lifetime member, Tactical Air Control Party Foundation
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman Basic June 11, 1997
Airman First Class July 26, 1997
Senior Airman November 26, 1999
Staff Sergeant October 1, 2002
Technical Sergeant April 1, 2008
Second Lieutenant September 9, 2009
First Lieutenant September 9, 2011
Captain September 9, 2013
Major July 1, 2019
Lieutenant Colonel January 1, 2024
(Current as of August 2024)