Vermont Air Guard Leadership

COLONEL DOUGLAS E. FICK
Colonel Douglas E. Fick is Commander, 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National Guard, South Burlington, Vermont. As the Commander, he is the tactical and strategic leader of the Wing, comprised of approximately 1,000 personnel to include
a full time cadre of about 300. He is also responsible for the
operational readiness of the Wing's dual tasking in the
general purpose air-to ground role as well as Air Sovereignty mission. Recently, the 158th Fighter Wing was selected to implement the Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s initiative known as “Community Basing”. Colonel Fick is responsible for this transformational mission, which involves the integration of active duty personnel with Air National Guard counterparts for the purpose of training.
Col Fick was commissioned from Officer Training School in
November of 1982. Undergraduate Flight Training was
conducted at Sheppard Air Force Base with a graduation in
January of 1984. Assigned to the F-16 he completed a three year tour at Hahn AB, Germany. His next
duty assignment was to Kunsan AB, ROK and his active duty career concluded with a one year
assignment to Fort Irwin, CA. Col Fick entered the Vermont Air National Guard on February 15th, 1990
and has served as the Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Commander and Operations Group Commander.
In January of 2006, Colonel Fick deployed to Balad Air Base and served as Deputy Operations Group
Commander in the 332nd FW. Colonel Fick is a command pilot with over 3,400 flight hours in the F-16.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL JOEL A. CLARK
Lieutenant Joel A. Clark is Vice Commander, 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National Guard, South Burlington, Vermont.
As the Vice Commander, he assists the Commander with all activities of the 158th Fighter Wing. In the absence of the
commander, he is responsible for the combat readiness of the
flying unit and all supporting elements. He advises the Commander on all matters relating to mission accomplishment and unit performance. He coordinates the budget, personnel, and long-range issues affecting combat readiness and unit morale of this F-16C wing composed of approximately 1,000 personnel to include a full time cadre of approximately 300. Lieutenant Colonel Clark was first commissioned in the United States Navy in 1981 as a Surface Warfare Officer. He became a fully qualified Surface Warfare Officer in 1983. Lieutenant Colonel Clark transferred to the US Navy Civil Engineer Corps in 1985. In 1991, Lieutenant Colonel Clark was commissioned in the Vermont Air National Guard as a member of the Civil
Engineer Squadron. He assumed command of the squadron in 2004. In January 2006, he commanded
the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, Ali AB, Iraq. Lieutenant Colonel Clark has also served
as the Mission Support Group Director for the Wing.

158th FW Command Chief Master Sergeant
CMSGT William A. LaPointe  was promoted to Chief on 8 Aug 1993 and is currently assigned as the Civil Engineering Manager for the 158th Civil Engineer Squadron, Vermont Air National Guard.  Chief LaPointe joined the Vermont Air National Guard in April 1970 as an electrician’s apprentice. In 1972 Chief LaPointe was reassigned as a Power production specialist which later that year lead to his accepting a full time position at the VTANG.  Shortly after that he became supervisor of the CE electric shop and subsequently moved into the position he holds today, Facility Manager.   Chief LaPointe is a veteran of many overseas deployments both for training and construction.  The squadron has built projects in such remote areas and villages in Panama, Africa and Macedonia.  Chief LaPointe has served many base activities such as the EET, R&R committee and his current position as chair of the Vermont Air National Guard Chief’s Council. He has been awarded the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal, Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon, Small Arms Marksmanship Ribbon and  the Air Force Training Ribbon. Chief LaPointe has over 33 years of dedicated service to his country and state.