Colonel Jessie O. Farrington
Deputy Commander
Colonel Jessie O. Farrington entered active military service in 1976 serving as an Infantryman, Special Forces Noncommissioned Officer and an Aviation Chief Warrant Officer before being commissioned in 1984. He is a 1983 graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and received a direct commission to second lieutenant on 4 May 1984. His military education includes the Primary Noncommissioned Officers Course, Warrant Officer Flight Training, Cobra Instructor Pilots Course, Aviation Officers Advanced Course, Combined Arms Services Staff School, Command and General Staff College, United States Army War College, as well as the AH-1G, AH-1S, OH-58A/C, AH-64A and AH-64D Aircraft Qualification Courses. Colonel Farrington is a Master Aviator with over 3,150 hours of flight time, including over 900 flight hours as an instructor pilot. Colonel Farrington has a Master of Sciences degree in Administration from Central Michigan University and a Master of Arts and Sciences degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College.
Prior to his current assignment as the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence Deputy Commander/Assistant Commandant at Fort Rucker, Alabama, Colonel Farrington spent more than 27 years commissioned service in a variety of command, staff, and field assignments. He most recently served as the Forces Command Assistant G-3/5/7 for Operations and Aviation at Fort McPherson, Georgia. Other key assignments include Commander, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas; Chief of Operations, XVIII Airborne Corps and Multi-National Corps Iraq (OIF III); Commander, 1st Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment (Attack) (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Chief, Ground Operation Branch, USCENTCOM J3, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; Battalion and Brigade Executive Officer, Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia; Gunnery Branch Chief at the Directorate of Training, Doctrine, and Simulations and the Battalion S-3 of 1st Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment (Attack) (Airborne), Fort Rucker, Alabama; Company Commander, C Company, 1st Battalion, 82nd Aviation Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Exchange Officer, Royal Jordanian Air Force, Amman Jordan; and Platoon Leader, 1-14th Aviation (AH-1S Instructor Pilot Course), Fort Rucker, Alabama. Colonel Farrington has commanded in combat at the company, battalion, and brigade level. He has participated in Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada), Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (Saudi Arabia and Iraq), Operation Desert Thunder (Kuwait), Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) 05-06 and 07-09. He has numerous awards and decorations including the Master Aviator Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Combat Action Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, and Special Forces Tab. He has also been awarded Jordanian Aviator Wings.
