TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Air Force Reserve Command officials announced this month Col. Dana N. Nelson has been selected as the new vice wing commander for the 507th Air Refueling Wing here.
Nelson last served as an individual mobilization augmentee to the Chief, Air Advisor Branch, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Maryland. She arrived at Tinker Sept. 7, and is now serving as the second in command of the largest Air Force Reserve flying unit in the state of Oklahoma.
Nelson received her commission in 1990 following graduation from the United States Air Force Academy. She began her flying career at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. While on active duty, Nelson flew various models of KC-135s for more than 10 years. In 2002, she joined the Air Force Reserve with the Defense Intelligence Agency as a Foreign Area Air Attaché. She served as an attaché in Slovenia, as an analyst at the Joint Intelligence Center, U.S. Transportation Command and as the Chief of the Survey Analysis Center in Doha, Qatar. In 2005, she joined the 459th Air Refueling Wing, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, and held various leadership positions including Chief of Training, Chief of the Exercise Evaluation Team, flight commander and commander of the 756th Air Refueling Squadron at JB Andrews. Also while stationed at Andrews, she volunteered to do several tours at Headquarters Air Force in Information operations and Special Access Programs, and further volunteered for a DIA Air Attaché tour to Suva, Fiji.
Nelson is a veteran of Operations Southern Watch, Allied Force, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, New Dawn and numerous other operations and contingencies in support of the nation’s security strategy.