Leon E. Pennington

Lieutenant Colonel Leon E. Pennington was commissioned as an Aviation Officer upon graduation from the Officer Candidate School Class 89-21, 29 September 1989. Lieutenant Colonel Pennington’s first duty assignment was as an Assistant Platoon Leader, Task Force 160th Special Operations Aviation Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. | His subsequent duty assignments include: Platoon Leader, C Company, Task Force 160th Special Operations Aviation Group (ABN), Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Company Executive Officer, C Company, Task Force, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (ABN), Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Assistant S-3, 2-24th Aviation Battalion, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia; Battalion S-2, 2-3rd Aviation Battalion, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia; Company Commander, 2-3rd Aviation Battalion, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia; Foreign Area Officer, Defense Attaché Office, U.S. Embassy, Paris France; Battalion Executive Officer, 1-212th Aviation Regiment, Fort Rucker, Alabama; Board President, Combat Readiness Center, Fort Rucker, Alabama; and Professor of Military Science, Northwestern University ROTC, Cadet Command, Natchitoches, Louisiana; Instructor, Department of International Security and Studies, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. | Lieutenant Colonel Pennington's military awards and decorations include: Bronze Star, Meritorious Medal (2), Air Medal (V Device for Valor), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (4), Army Achievement Medal (2), Joint Meritorious Unit Award, National Defense Service Ribbon (2), Armed Force Expeditionary Medal (2) with Arrowhead Device (1), Southwest Asia Service Medal (2), Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon, United Nations Mission in Haiti Medal, Kuwait Liberation/Saudi Arabia with Gold Palm Tree Medal, and Kuwait Liberation Medal.