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COMMANDER
JOHN R. BIXBY
UNITED STATES NAVY Commander John R. Bixby is a native of Orlando, FL and a 1989 graduate of Lake Brantley High School. He graduated from Florida State University in December 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, and was commissioned as an Ensign through the NROTC program. Commander Bixby received his Naval Aviator wings in September 1996 at Kingsville, Texas and reported to Strike Fighter Squadron 106 (VFA-106) at NAS Cecil Field, FL, for initial training in the FA-18 Hornet.
Upon completion of the Fleet Replacement Squadron in October 1997, he received orders to the “Royal Maces” of Strike Fighter Squadron 27 (VFA-27), forward deployed as part of Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5) at NAF Atsugi, Japan. His first fleet tour included multiple Western Pacific / Arabian Gulf deployments aboard USS Independence (CV 62) and USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) participating in Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, as well as several multi-national exercises in and around the Korean peninsula.
In September 2000, he reported to Strike Fighter Squadron 122 (VFA-122), the FA-18 E/F Super Hornet Fleet Replacement Squadron in Lemoore, CA as an instructor pilot and Landing Signals Officer (LSO). In May 2003, Commander Bixby joined Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) while deployed aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, to serve as the Carrier Air Wing LSO. During this tour, he was selected to become the Commander Naval Air Forces (CNAF) LSO, and reported for duty to NAS North Island in August 2004.
In November 2005, Commander Bixby reported back to NAS Lemoore, California and subsequently joined the “Black Knights” of Strike Fighter Squadron 154 (VFA-154) as a Department Head in February 2006. Serving as Maintenance Officer, he deployed aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) as part of Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM during the spring of 2007.
Following his Department Head tour in February 2008, Commander Bixby reported to the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) at MacDill AFB, Florida where he served as the Program Objective Memorandum (POM) Division Chief, providing oversight of USSOCOM Title 10 resources. Commander Bixby returned to flight duty in July 2010, reporting to Strike Fighter Squadron 106 (VFA-106) at NAS Oceana for refresher training.
Commander Bixby reported to the Fighting Checkmates of VFA-211 in November of 2010 to serve as Executive Officer. He held this position through the squadron’s combat deployment in 2011 and the beginning of the 2012 combat deployment. In May of 2012, he took command of the Checkmates. Commander Bixby’s decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, one Individual Action Air Medal, five Air Medal Strike/Flight Awards, three Navy Commendation Medals, two Navy Achievement Medals, one Battle “E” award, and various other unit and campaign awards. He has accumulated over 3,500 hours of flight time, 640 combat flight hours, and 923 carrier arrested landings.
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