NY Air Guard Lt. Col. Joshua Hamm, a Cazenovia resident, takes command of the 174th Operations Support Squadron

Syracuse, NY (01/19/2022) — New York Air National Guard Lt. Col Joshua Hamm, a 19-year Air Force veteran from Cazenovia, took command of the N174th Attack Wing's Operations Support Squadron during a ceremony held at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base on Saturday, January 8.

Hamm replaced Lt. Col. Keith A. Walker, who had led the 174th Operations Support Squadron since 2019.

Hamm, a full-time National Guard officer, transferred to the 174th Attack Wing from the Active Air Force in 2016. In 2017, he became an MQ-9 Instructor Pilot, and Assistant Director of Operations for the 138th Attack Squadron. He then became an Evaluator Pilot for the 174th Operations Group until 2020, when he became the Director of Operations for the 138th Attack Squadron.

Hamm is a 2003 graduate of Bridgewater State University and received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Course at Boston University.

He is rated as a Master Navigator with over 3000 flight hours and is an MQ-9 pilot with over 1,100 hours of flight time.

While in the Active Air Force, Hamm served as a B-52H radar navigator, and B-52H radar navigator instructor, training to carry out both convention and nuclear attack missions.

His positions while in the Active Air Force include:

• Assistant Flight Commander of the 23rd Bomb Squadron at Minot Air Force Base;
• Flight Commander of the 69th Bomb Squadron at Minot Air Force Base;
• Group Executive Officer, 5th Mission Support Group, at Minot Air Force Base;
• Instructor Combat Systems Officer, Assistant Director of Operations, at the 451st Flying Training Squadron, at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida;
• Virtual Flag Exercise Director, 705th Combat Training Squadron, Air Force Distributed Mission Operations Center, at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.

Hamm has flown missions in support of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq during his career.

His awards include the: Meritorious Service Medal, Aerial Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Meritorious Unit Award, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.

Media Attachments

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U.S. Air National Guard Lt. Col. Joshua Hamm, right, accepts the 174th Attack Wing’s Operations Support Squadron guidon from Col. Thomas Burke, the 174th Operations Group Commander during change of command ceremonies at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York on Jan 8, 2022.(U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Barbara Olney