Base Commander

                                                         


                                   COLONEL BERRY L. McCORMICK

Colonel Berry L. McCormick is the Commander, Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) Gulfport, Miss. The primary mission of the Gulfport CRTC is to provide an integrated, year round, realistic joint training environment (Air Space, Ranges, Systems, Facilities, and Equipment) for units to enhance their capability and combat readiness. The CRTC holds a certification as a National Training Center emphasizing Special Operations Forces (SOF), Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD/DEAD), Close Air Support (CAS), En-Route Casualty Care (ERCC) and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR).
 
Col McCormick enlisted in the Mississippi Air National Guard in 1988 as a Search Scope Operator with the 255th Tactical Control Squadron, Gulfport, Miss. After graduating from Mississippi State University in Electrical Engineering, he was commissioned through the Academy of Military Science, McGhee-Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tenn. and graduated Weapons Director Training at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. in 1993. He has 31 years with the Mississippi Air National Guard, and he has served as Weapons Director, Air Surveillance Officer Instructor/Evaluator, Civil Engineer, and Commander for both a Civil Engineer and Air Control Squadron. He is a veteran of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, Operation NOBLE EAGLE, and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Prior to his current position, he was the Director of Support at the Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center.


EDUCATION
1992  Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Miss.
2001  Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2004  Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2006  Air Force Civil Engineer Basic Course, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
2012  Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2018  Masters of Strategic Studies, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, Pa.

ASSIGNMENTS

  1. ​April 1988 – January 1993, Search Scope Operator, 255th Tactical Control Squadron, Gulfport, Miss.
  2. January 1993 – February 1993, Student, Academy of Military Science, McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tenn.
  3. February 1993 – June 1993, Weapons Director Trainee, 255th Air Control Squadron, Gulfport, Miss.
  4. June 1993 – December 1993, Student, Weapons Director School, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.
  5. December 1993 – June 1999, Weapons Director, 255th Air Control Squadron, Gulfport, Miss.June 1999 – June 2005, Air Surveillance Officer, 255th Air Control Squadron, Gulfport, Miss. (June – December 1999, Air Surveillance Officer, 9th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait)
  6. June 2005 – November 2010, Commander, 209th Civil Engineer Squadron, Gulfport, Miss. (August 2008 – February 2009, Deputy Commander, Salerno Facility Engineer Team, Afghanistan)
  7. November 2010 – June 2012, A7 Director, 253rd Air Support Squadron, Meridian, Miss.
  8. June 2012 – September 2014, Commander, 255th Air Control Squadron, Gulfport, Miss. (May – November 2013, Commander, 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron, Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates)
  9. September 2014 – July 2019, Director of Support, Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center, Gulfport, Miss.
  10. July 2019 – Present, Commander, Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center, Gulfport, Miss.


MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster
 

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2018  Distinguished Graduate, U.S. Army War College

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Feb. 11, 1993
First Lieutenant March 4, 1995
Captain Nov. 1, 1997
Major Feb. 14, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel Feb. 14, 2006
Colonel Aug. 6, 2019
 
(Current as of October 2020)