Brigadier General Roger F. Deon Jr. currently serves as the Commanding General, Army Reserve Aviation Command (ARAC). Fort Knox, KY. Prior to this, Brigadier General Deon served as the Director, Army Reserve Affairs, V Corps, the G-33 Operations Officer for the United States Army Reserve Command (USARC), Ft. Bragg, NC; Commander, 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade (ECAB), Ft. Carson, CO; and Commander, 8th Battalion, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion (AHB), Ft Knox, KY.
Brigadier General Deon, a native of Newark, NY, enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1987 and began his officer training through ROTC in 1991 at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY. Commissioned as a Medical Service Corps Officer on 22 May 1992, he attended Officer Basic Course (OBC) at Ft. Sam Houston, TX, followed by Initial Entry Rotary Wing (IERW) Training (UH-1 and OH-58A/C) at Fort Rucker, AL. He was awarded the Army Aviator Badge, transferred to Aviation Branch, and was assigned as an Attack Helicopter Pilot, 8-229th Aviation Regiment, “Flying Tigers”, Fort Knox, KY.
Brigadier General Deon’s key and developmental assignments include Attack, Scout and Refuel / Rearm Platoon Leader positions, Alpha Company Commander, and Battalion Assistant Operations Officer, within 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment, Fort Knox, KY. While serving 8-229th Aviation, Brigadier General Deon deployed to Bosnia and Iraq as an Attack Helicopter Pilot, Director, USARC G-3/5/7 Aviation and Watercraft and Director, USARC G-33 Operations Officer. Additional key assignments included Brigade Operations Officer, 244th Aviation Brigade (Forward) in Balad, Iraq and Commander, Joint Robotics Repair Detachment, in Baghdad, Iraq, His Broadening assignments include Battalion Adjutant (S1), Assistant Professor of Military Science, University of Kentucky ROTC, Lexington, KY, Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) Operations Officer, Force Modernization Officer, Staff Synchronization Officer, 11th Aviation Command and Deputy Chief of Staff, G2, Intelligence Officer, Army Reserve Aviation Command (ARAC), and Director, Army Reserve Affairs, V Corps.
Brigadier General Deon’s military and civilian education includes Officer Basic Course, Rotary Wing Flight School, Captain’s Career Course, Combined Arms Services Staff School, Army Command and General Staff College, Force Management Qualification, and Aircraft Qualifications in the AH-64A Apache, AH-64D Apache Longbow, UH-60A/L Blackhawk and the C-12 Huron (King Air) Fixed Wing aircraft. Brigadier General Deon completed the Anti-Terrorism Level IV course, Senior Service College, Carlisle, PA, and the Senior Manager’s Course for National Security (SMCNS). He earned a Bachelor of Science from Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester, NY, and Masters of Strategic Studies, Army War College, Carlisle, PA.
Brigadier General Deon’s key military awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (9 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal (3 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Achievement Medal (2 Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (4 Oak Leaf Clusters), National Defense Service Medal (Bronze Star), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal (2 Stars), NATO Service Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation Award, Senior Aviator's Badge and Air Assault Badge.
Brigadier General Deon is married to the former Ms. Michele Fannin of Paintsville, KY, and has three beautiful daughters, Jessica, Abigail, and Hannah.