Colonel Steven J. Theohares is the Commander of the 911th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania. He leads more than 160 Citizen Airmen and is responsible for ensuring the health and medical readiness of the 1,500 members of 911th Airlift Wing. He is also responsible for the training, preparation and deployment of 150 assigned personnel to a 50 or 100 bed Contingency Hospital as an integral link of patient movement in the Global Aeromedical Evacuation System.
Col. Theohares is a graduate of The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio and the Indiana Wesleyan University Marion, Indiana. He received a commission in 1998 as a Combat Support Hospital Nurse in the U.S. Army Reserve. He transferred to the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 2000 and was appointed as a Flight Nurse. He is a qualified Flight Instructor and assigned Flight Examiner. Col. Theohares has served in a broad range of health services positions to include Chief of Aircrew Training, Flight Commander, and Chief Nurse for the 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. He has deployed as a Flight Nurse, Senior Flight Nurse of an Aeromedical Evacuation Operations Team, and as an aeromedical evacuation subject matter expert for special medical airlift operations. Col. Theohares is a current Board Member to the U.S. Air Force Reserve Nurse Corps Board of Directors.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Science, Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
1998 U.S. Army Officer Basic Training, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
2000 U.S. Air Force Flight Nurse Course, U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, Texas
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2004 Junior Officer Leadership Development Seminar, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
2007 Aeromedical Evacuation Contingency Operations Training Course, Air Education & Training Command, Sheppard AFB, Texas
2009 Air Command & Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2012 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2014 Chief Nurse Executive Course, Robins AFB, Ga.
2016 Master of Science, Nursing, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Ind.
2018 Federal Coordinating Center-Patient Receiving Area Course, Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
2019 Squadron Commander Course, Robins AFB, Ga.
2019 Aeromedical Evacuation Patient Staging Course, Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute, Camp Bullis, Texas
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 1998 – March 2000, U.S. Army Reserve, Army Nurse, 914th Combat Support Hospital, Blacklick, Ohio
2. April 2000 – October 2002, Flight Nurse, 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
3. January 2002 – March 2002, Flight Nurse, Operation FUNDAMENTAL JUSTICE, U.S. Central Command, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey and McGuire AFB, N.J.
4. October 2002 – November 2002, Flight Nurse, Operation FUNDAMENTAL JUSTICE, U.S. Central Command, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
5. November 2002 – December 2006, Flight Nurse Instructor, 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
6. February 2003 – August 2003, Flight Nurse, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Prince Sultan AB, Saudi Arabia and Camp Snoopy, Doha, Qatar
7. April 2005 – September 2005, Officer in Charge Aeromedical Evacuation Operations Team, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Kandahar Airfield, Kandahar, Afghanistan
8. December 2005 – May 2006, Senior Flight Nurse, 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Detachment 1, Andrews AFB, Washington, D.C.
9. April 2006 – April 2009, Chief of Aircrew Training, 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
10. May 2009 – May 2014, Flight Commander, 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
11. January 2011 – May 2011, Senior Flight Nurse, 332 Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Operation NEW DAWN, Joint Base Balad, Iraq
12. June 2014 – September 2016, Chief Nurse, 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
13. October 2016 – May 2017, Deputy Group Commander, 445th Operations Group, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
14. June 2020 – October 2020, Commander, 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Operations INHERENT RESOLVE/FREEDOM’S SENTINEL/SPARTAN SHIELD, Al Udeid AB, Qatar
15. June 2017 – April 2021, Commander, 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
16. April 2021 – Current, Commander, 911th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, Pittsburgh International Airport ARS, Penn.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Chief Flight Nurse
Flight hours: more than 1,010
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Unit Award with five oak leaf clusters
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device and four oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal with six oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Service Star
Iraq Campaign Medal with Service Star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal with Service Star
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with three “M devices”
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
First Lieutenant March 4, 1998
Captain September 13, 2001
Major September 13, 2005
Lieutenant Colonel September 13, 2010
Colonel, May 22, 2017
(Current as of January 2021)