AHS Chapter Meeting Notices

John Gerard McGonagle joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1979. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts. He attended flight training at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, and received his Naval Aviator wings in August 1987. Colonel McGonagle participated in deployments to Okinawa, Japan, the Western Pacific, and the Persian Gulf region during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Captain McGonagle attended the United States Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. He subsequently served as a helicopter test pilot and UH-1N platform coordinator with the Naval Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Squadron. McGonagle assumed command of HMM-774 in December 2003, was activated in July 2004, and deployed to Iraq with his squadron from August 2004 until March 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II, and then again from September 2005 to December 2005, at which time he gave up command of his unit. Upon being promoted to the rank of Colonel in August 2006, he reported to Marine Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia, where he currently holds the billet of Deputy Director for Current Operations. Colonel McGonagle’s personal decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (2), Air Medal with Strike Flight Numeral 8, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon. Presently Colonel McGonagle is the Chief Test Pilot for the Presidential Helicopter Program with Lockheed Martin Corporation in Owego, New York.