Dodroe takes the reigns as new commander of the 188th Operations Group

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Cody Martin
  • 188th Wing Public Affairs
EBBING AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, FORT SMITH, Ark. --  Lt. Col. Leon Dodroe assumed command of the 188th Operations Group June 24, 2016, where he will lead the wing's mission conversion to the MQ-9 Reaper.

Col. Doorenbos, 188th Wing commander, presided over the ceremony and expressed her optimism for Dodroe and his ability to cultivate ready, responsive and highly-skilled Airmen.

"Dodroe is very principled and operates within an extremely high degree of integrity and he will expect the same out of all of you," said Doorenbos. "He is surrounded by an amazing team and he will lead you well."

After graduating from Washington State University with Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, Dodroe enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1993 and served with the 75th Regiment in Fort Benning, Ga. In 1995, he was selected for pilot training and received his commission through Officer Candidate School.

Upon completing flight school, Dodroe was assigned as the fixed wing platoon leader for the Southern European Task Force (SETAF) in Vicenza, Italy. There he flew missions in support of Bosnia, Kosovo and Northern Iraq. In 2000, he was assigned to Fort Huachuca where he attended the Military Intelligence Officers Advanced course and became the Executive Officer for E Company, 305th Michigan Battalion and Chief of RC-12D Special Electronic Mission Aircraft (SEMA) training.

Dodroe transitioned to the Arizona Army National Guard in 2003 and held a number of positions, including battalion intelligence, plans and operations officer. In 2006, he transitioned to the Army Reserves as commander of C Company 6/52 Aviation Regiment and in 2008 through 2009, he deployed to Iraq and commanded Bravo Troop Task Force ODIN.

In 2010, Dodroe moved to the 214th Reconnaissance Group, Arizona Air National Guard and filled a variety of leadership roles, including flight commander, director of operations and squadron commander of the 214th Reconnaissance Squadron.
As a command pilot, Dodroe has logged more than 4,300 hours in manned and unmanned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms.

Dodroe met with the 188th OG and was impressed with what he saw.

"As I got to go through and meet the team and all of its members, I was just astounded by their amount of professionalism and dedication to the mission," said Dodroe. "I saw a one team concept and it really struck home for me."

Dodroe ended the ceremony expressing how grateful and excited he was to join the 188th OG and oversee its transition to becoming the premier precision strike unit in the Air National Guard.

"After meeting the group, I knew Arkansas and the Flying Razorbacks was where I wanted to be," Dodroe stated. "I am very proud and honored to be a member of your team and stand amongst you."