Darrel D. Whitcomb is a 1969 graduate of the US Air Force Academy. He served three tours in Southeast Asia as a cargo pilot and forward air controller and subsequently flew the A-37 and A-10 with the 926th Fighter Wing and the 442d Fighter Wing. He also served in fighter plans on the Air Staff and in mobilization plans on the Joint Staff. Most recently, he served on the faculty at Air Command and Staff College and as the mobilization assistant to the commander of the Air Force Doctrine Center, both at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. He retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1999 with the rank of colonel. He was also a career airline pilot for Delta Airlines, retiring in 2003.