Air Force ROTC Det 750
Air Force ROTC Det 750

Major Edward James "Eddie" Benningfield

Major Edward Benningfield

Maj Edward James “Eddie” Benningfield is Recruiting and Education Officer at Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 750, St Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Pa. He ensures quality talent acquisition and impactful community outreach while ensuring academic programs of the Detachment provide the best possible foundation for America’s newest military leaders.

Maj Benningfield entered the Air Force in May 2012 through ROTC from the University of Texas at San Antonio.  He completed Airfield Operations Officer training in March 2015 and since then has held a variety of leadership positions related to Airfield Management, Air Traffic Control, and Radar, Airfield, and Weather Systems Maintenance in permanent based locations as well as in contingency  deployed, and bare base situations.  Maj Benningfield brings with him experience leading large, multi-national teams of up to 130 people and drove contingency and exercise planning in large-scale exercises and real world events in Central Africa, the Maghreb, Central Asia, the Levant, Europe, the Korean Peninsula, and the Indo-Pacific at large. Prior to his current position, Maj Benningfield was the Executive Officer, 87th Air Base Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
 

EDUCATION

  • 2022 Bachelor of Arts, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
  • 2018 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
  • 2022 Master of Science, Organizational Development and Leadership, The University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas
  • 2024 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence.
     

ASSIGNMENTS or CAREER CHRONOLOGY

  1. September 2012 – July 2013, Student Pilot, 47th Student Squadron, Laughlin Air Force Base (AFB), Texas
  2. July 2013–-March 2015, Airfield Operations Officer Trainee, 23d Operations Support Squadron, Moody AFB, Ga.
  3. April 2015 – April 2016, Airfield Operations Systems Officer, 51st Operations Support Squadron, Osan Air Base (AB), Korea
  4. May 2016–-October 2017, Operations Flight Commander, 435th Contingency Response Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
  5. October 2017—October 2018, Chief of Group Plans, 435th Contingency Response Group, Ramstein AB, Germany
  6. October 2018—May 2019, Contingency Response Flight Commander, 435th Contingency Response Support Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
  7. May 2019—April 2022, Airfield Operations Flight Commander, 47th Operations Support Squadron, Laughlin AFB, Texas (January 2021—June 2021, Airfield Operations Flight Commander, 379th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, Al Udeid AB, Qatar)
  8. May 2022-March 2023, Deputy Chief of Operations, United States Air Force (USAF) Expeditionary Center, Joint Base (JB) McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
  9. March 2023—June 2024, Chief of Combat Support Doctrine and Lessons Learned, USAF Expeditionary Center, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
  10. June 2024—July 2025, Executive Officer, 87th Air Base Wing, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

  11. July 2025—Present, Recruiting and Education Officer, AFROTC Detachment 750, St Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Pa.

     

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

  • Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
  • Air and Space Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
  • Air and Space Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters
     

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS

2023 USAF Expeditionary Center Field Grade Officer of the Year
 

OCCUPATIONAL BADGES

  • Basic Parachutist
  • Senior Airfield Operations Officer
     

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

  • Second Lieutenant - May 12, 2012
  • First Lieutenant - Jul 21, 2014
  • Captain - Jul 21, 2016
  • Major - Apr 1, 2022

(Current as of August 2025)