Meeting: CA Air National Guard

Lt Colonel Jose Ariza is an Instructor and Evaluator Pilot in the California Air National Guard. He has held numerous active positions as a member of the 146^th Airlift Wing, most recently he served as the Director of Operations for the 146^th Operations Support Squadron, Channel Islands Air National Guard Base. Lt Colonel Jose Ariza enlisted in the Air Force in 1994 and served as a Weather Observer. After four years ona ctive duty he transferred to the Florida NAtional Guard, while completing his degree from the University of Central Florida.

He transitioned to the California Air National Guard in 2004 and received his wings in 2006. Between 2006 and 2017, he deployed numerous times, flying more than 500 combat sorties to Afghanistan, Germany and Kuwait in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and IHERENT RESOLVE. Lt Colonel Ariza is a Senior Pilot, Instructor, and Evaluator with more than 3500 hours in C-130J aircraft. He has amassed over 750 combat hours in 450 combat missions. He is qualified as a Modular Aerial Firefighting System (MAFFS) Instructor Pilot and has previously served as a deployed Chief of Tactics and aerial firefighting Mission Commander. He is a First Officer with Southwest Airlines and lives in Camarillo, CA with his wife, Tess, of Chico, CA, and two sons, Julian and Travis and a daughter, Jordyn.