Colonel Patrick Rhatigan is a highly acknowledged and respected Commander who organizes and trains the personnel who operate, maintain, and sustain more than 65 C-130 aircraft. At present, he is commanding the 19th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1991 with a degree in English Literature and earned his pilot wings at Williams AFB, Arizona in 1992.
With great years of experience under his belt, Colonel Patrick Rhatigan has commanded an air refueling squadron in combat and flown numerous types of airlift missions, including VIP transport, medical evacuation, nuclear logistics, strategic resupply and combat airlift.
About Colonel Patrick Rhatigan
Colonel Patrick Rhatigan is the Commander, 19th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas. Being an installation commander, Col. Rhatigan leads the “Home of C-130 Combat Airlift.” He works in concert with the 314th Airlift Wing (AETC), 189th Airlift Wing (ANG), 913th Airlift Group (AFRC) and the United States Air Force Weapons School (ACC) in all aspects of C-130 operations and training. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1991 with a degree in English Literature and earned his pilot wings at Williams AFB, Arizona in 1992. He has held a variety of staff positions, including Speechwriter to the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of the CSAF/SECAF Executive Action Group’s Communication team at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon. Recently, Col. Rhatigan was the Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, serving in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in the Pentagon. Before serving his current position, he was assigned as the Commander, 379th Expeditionary Operations Group in Southwest Asia.