Major General Carol A. Timmons (January 2, 1958 – August 2, 2020) was an American military officer who served as Adjutant General of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

from February 1, 2017, until her retirement on March 2, 2019. She was also the first female general in

Delaware National Guard The Delaware National Guard consists of the Delaware Army National Guard, and the Delaware Air National Guard. It is a state agency of the government of Delaware. From February 2017 its commander, the State adjutant general, has been Major Gene ...

history.

Biography

A native of

New Castle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of 2020, the city's population was 5,551. New Cast ...

she graduated from William Penn High School in 1977 then enlisted in the

Delaware Air National Guard The Delaware Air National Guard (DE ANG) is the aerial militia of the Delaware, State of Delaware, United States, United States of America. It is, along with the Delaware Army National Guard, an element of the Delaware National Guard as well as ...

becoming the first female member of the Security Police Squadron; in 1980 she graduated from the Officer Candidate School, Fort Benning, Georgia. The following year, she received Army Aviator Wings after completing Rotary Wing Flight Training at

Fort Rucker, Alabama Fort Rucker is a United States Army post located primarily in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was formerly named in honor of Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel, an Army aviator and Medal of Honor recipient. It was previously nam ...

and served as a UH-1 pilot with the

Delaware Army National Guard The Delaware Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau. The Delaware Army Nat ...

. In 1985, Timmons received her Air Force pilot wings from Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma then served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a C-141B pilot with the 514th Military Airlift Wing (Associate) at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. In 1993 then Captain Timmons returned to the Delaware Air Guard as a C-130H “Hercules” pilot with the

166th Airlift Wing The 166th Airlift Wing (166th AW) of the Delaware Air National Guard (DANG) is stationed at New Castle Air National Guard Base, Delaware. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. Ov ...

serving progressively as an aircraft commander, current operations officer, assistant chief pilot and assistant operations officer; in 2005 she assumed command of the

142d Airlift Squadron The 142d Airlift Squadron (142d AS) is a unit of the Delaware Air National Guard 166th Airlift Wing located at New Castle Air National Guard Base, Delaware. It is equipped with the C-130H Hercules. Overview The mission of the 142d Airlift Squad ...

then in 2007 was elevated to commander of the 166th Operations Group. As a colonel she was deputy commander for operations of the 166th Airlift Wing and Director of the Joint Staff for Headquarters, Delaware National Guard; promoted to brigadier general in April 2011, she became the first female general officer in Delaware National Guard history and subsequently served as assistant adjutant general for air while also serving as assistant to the commander of the Air National Guard. Promoted to major general in 2017, she was selected by Delaware Governor

Jack Markell Jack Alan Markell (born November 26, 1960) is an American politician and diplomat. He had served the United States ambassador both to Italy and to San Marino. He had served as the United States ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-oper ...

to serve as the state's adjutant general. She served in Operations

Desert Shield , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

Desert Storm , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from August 1992 to March 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of moni ...

, Joint Guard,

Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

and Inherent Resolve. While deployed, Timmons was commander of the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, deputy commander of the 455th Operations Group and director of mobility forces,

United States Air Forces Central Command The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint D ...

. She was a member of the Air Reserve Forces Policy Committee and chair of the Joint Diversity Executive Council as well as serving as the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs representative to the

Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) is one of the oldest Department of Defense (DoD) federal advisory committees and was established in 1951 by then- Secretary of Defense (SecDef) George C. Marshall. The committee is ...

. Timmons was a command pilot with more than 5,200 flying hours, including 400 combat hours, and was awarded more than 30 decorations, including the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

and

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

. In civilian life she served as a captain with

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

flying the 757 and 767 aircraft; from 1987 to 1991 she was a flight engineer with

Pan American World Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and more commonly known as Pan Am, was an airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States for ...

; she amassed more than 10,000 commercial flying hours. General Timmons attended Delaware Technical Community College and received both bachelor's and master's degrees from

Wilmington University Wilmington University (WilmU) is a private university with its main campus in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, United States. - It was established in 1968 by educator Donald E. Ross as Wilmington College and was renamed Wilmington ...

; she was a graduate of the

Air War College The Air War College (AWC) is the senior Professional Military Education (PME) school of the U.S. Air Force. A part of the United States Air Force's Air University (United States Air Force), Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, ...

and CAPSTONE program at the

National Defense University National Defence (or Defense) University (or College) may refer to: :''Alphabetical by country'' University * Marshal Fahim National Defense University, Afghanistan * National Defense University (Azerbaijan) * People's Liberation Army National Defe ...

. She has been inducted into the Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame and Hall of Fame of Delaware Women.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Timmons, Carol A. 1958 births 2020 deaths Delaware National Guard personnel Female generals of the United States Air Force Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Air Force generals United States Air Force personnel of the Gulf War United States Air Force personnel of the Iraq War United States Air Force personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Wilmington University alumni 21st-century American women American female military personnel of the Gulf War Women in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)