OFFICIAL
BIOGRAPHY 101
PRESENTED BY: MSGT DEBRA GENTRY,
913TH AIRLIFT GROUP, LRAFB, AR
What Governs the Official
Biography?
AFH 33-3337 dated 27 May 2015
Incorporating Change 1, 19 November 2015
Certified Current 27 July 2016
Chapter 20: The Official Biography
Pages 257-259
The Why…
No matter your status (officer or enlisted) or how long you have
served, you have accomplished many things to get you to your
current duty location.
Capturing and maintaining your accomplishments in a standard
biography format is a powerful tool for making personal and
professional connections - just as powerful as any modern social
media application - and it can help build cohesion at the unit level.
When unit members read the biographies of their leaders, they see
more than an official Air Force photograph and a list of facts - they
see the service that shaped their leaders and the excellence they
obtained.
Getting Started
Format: Use [Arial font, size 9] for all text and entries; bold the
headings (e.g., EDUCATION); use [Arial font, size 13.5 BOLD] for the
identification line; all line spacing is
1.15.
Length: Final drafts should be no more than two pages in length
when printed.
Use a single space after a period or punctuation mark in the
narrative
Associated Press (AP) Style
Guidance for Official Biographies
Acronyms: Spell out acronyms on first use; minimize the use of
military jargon.
Adjectives: For brevity, minimize the use of adjectives (e.g.,
“successfully led…”).
Months and Dates:
Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. are abbreviated when used
with a day (e.g.Jan.1, 2015), and spelled out when used only with year
(e.g. January 2015)
March, April, May, June, and July are always spelled out.
Use commas to separate the day from the year in the “Month Day,
Year” format (March 3, 2014) but not when the day is omitted (March
2014).
AP Style Guidance for Official
Biographies (Con’t)
Rank: Follows Air Force journalistic style.
Spelled out fully in the identification line using all CAPITAL LETTERS.
Abbreviated rank is used in the narrative with the name of the member.
Generic rank (e.g., “the colonel” or “the general”) is used when the
name is omitted.
COLONEL DANIEL S. COLLISTER
CMSgt, SMSgt, MSgt, TSgt, SSgt, SrA, A1C, AMN, AB, etc.
AP Style Guidance for Official
Biographies (Con’t)
State names
All states are spelled out completely when they stand alone without a
city.
Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah are always
spelled out.
Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Conn., Del., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Kan., Ky., La.,
Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., Neb., Nev., N.H., N.J., N.M.,
N.Y., N.C., N.D., Okla., Ore., Pa., R.I., S.C., S.D., Tenn., Vt., Va., Wash.,
W.Va., Wis., and Wyo. may be abbreviated when used with a city.
Official Biography Elements
The preparation of an official biography is covered by the Privacy
Act; however, the finished product is public domain and must be in
agreement with official records.
Follow Public Affairs’ guidance for the disclosure of contingency
operations locations.
In general, forward operating bases are not normally used on an official
biography, However, some main operating bases, such as Manas Air
Base, Kyrgyzstan; Joint Base Balad, Iraq; or Joint Base Bagram,
Afghanistan, may be used. If in doubt
, use a general term (e.g.,
Southwest Asia) for the location of a contingency operation.
Do not include the names of family members anywhere on the
biography.
Identification Line
Identification Line (“FULL RANK FIRST M. LAST”)
Officer and enlisted. Spell out the full rank and signature block name
using bold font and all CAPITAL LETTERS (e.g., “FULL RANK FIRST M. LAST”).
COLONEL DANIEL S. COLLISTER
Remember
font type and
size are Arial
13.5, Bold
First Paragraph
Officer and enlisted.
Begins with the abbreviated rank and full name followed by
position title (from official records), organization, base and
location. Next, provide a brief description of the member’s
responsibilities in this position.
Official photograph. The official photograph is placed in the
upper right corner of the biography, below the banner,
aligned
with the top of the first paragraph, and flush with the right margin
.
The source photograph file should be of high resolution in a
standard 8” x 10” or 5” x 7” format. Resize the source file to
roughly 3.2” wide x 4” high using a locked aspect ratio and
cropping, as required.
Colonel Daniel S. Collister is the Deputy Commander, 913th Airlift
Group, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. The 913th Airlift Group
is responsible for providing combat-ready Airmen, tactical airlift and
agile combat support. The group reports to 22nd Air Force, Dobbins
Air Reserve Base, Georgia, while associated with our host, the 19th
Airlift Wing (Air Mobility Command).
3.2”
4”
Remember
font type
and size is
Arial 9
THE RANK OF O-6
AND ABOVE IS NEVER
ABBREVIATED
Second Paragraph
Officer and enlisted. Briefly describe the member’s career: when the
member entered the Air Force
Enlisted: month and year of enlistment followed by technical training course
attended and the month/year of graduation from technical training;
Officer: college attended and commissioning source, years of service
(active /guard/reserve), experience (technical/leadership), assignment
locations (states/countries) and a summary of the most significant
assignments (not a “laundry list” of assignments
).
The final sentence of the narrative, as part of this paragraph or the third
paragraph, reads, “Prior to his/her current position, the (rank) was the (position
title, organization, base, and location).”
Colonel Collister was commissioned in 1998 through R.O.T.C. as a
graduate of Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio.
He earned his pilot wings in 2000 from VT-31 squadron, Naval Air
Station Corpus Christi, Texas. He has flown the C-130E/H/J and
remains an active instructor pilot with over 4,400 hours in the C-130.
Remember
font type
and size is
Arial 9
Third Paragraph
Officer and Enlisted [Optional]. Provide information on the member’s
other noteworthy assignments, contingency operations experience,
deployments and flight information, as applicable.
For guard and reserve personnel, this paragraph may include
information on the member’s civilian profession; however, do not use the
names of companies - be generic (e.g., “In her civilian capacity, the
general is a pilot with a major airline”).
If not included in the second paragraph, the third paragraph may
simply be “Prior to his/her current position, the (rank) was the (position
title, organization, base and location).”
During his time in the United States Air Force, he has participated in
Operations Joint Forge, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Odyssey
Dawn, Nomad Shadow, Credible Cat, Inherent Resolve, and
Freedom’s Sentinel. In his civilian capacity, Colonel Collister is a
pilot with a major airline. Prior to his current assignment, Colonel
Collister was the Commander of the 327th Airlift Squadron, Little
Rock AFB, Ark.
Remember
font type
and size is
Arial 9
Education
Use bold font and all CAPITAL LETTERS for the heading; do not use a colon after
the heading.
List completed education programs chronologically (first to most recent) by
year, type of degree, title of degree/program, institution, city, and state. Include
all academic degrees and all professional military education (PME), professional
developmental education (PDE), professional continuing education (PCE), and
executive courses. For academic programs that merge the type and title of the
degree (e.g., “Master of Business Administration” or “Master of Military
Operational Art and Science”), use the merged type and title for the entry.
NOTE: When the institution name includes the state (e.g., “University of Iowa”), do not
include the state at the end of the entry. For non-degree PME, PDE, PCE, and
executive courses, list only the year, course, school, location and state. For PME only,
add “by correspondence”, if appropriate, as shown below.
EDUCATION
2007 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
Remember
font type
and size is
Arial 9
Sample Education Entries
2002 Bachelor of Science, Aeronautical Engineering, Auburn University,
Auburn, Ala.
2003 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. [“Air
Force Base” is spelled out on first use.]
2006 Master of Science, Logistics Management, Air Force Institute of
Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
2007 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2008 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by
correspondence
2013 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command and
Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2017 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2020 Doctor of Philosophy, Military History, University of Alabama,
Tuscaloosa
Work History (“Assignments”)
Use bold font and all CAPITAL LETTERS for the heading; do not use a colon after
the heading. List the member’s work history chronologically by month and year
entered to month and year departed.
Include the official duty title, unit, base and state. (The squadron of assignment is not
always necessary, such as while in student status or when the duty title and base
sufficiently identify the assignment. If in doubt, include the squadron.)
Spell out Air Base (AB), Air Force Base (AFB) and Joint Base (JB) on first use.
Do not use a period at the end of an assignment entry unless needed to abbreviate a
state (or Washington, D.C.).
Spell out the names of all months (do not follow the AP abbreviation guidance for the
names of months in this section).
Capitalize all duty titles (as of October 2011 for all new official biographies).
Deployment/contingency experience is placed in parentheses in the same line as the
assignment during which the member deployed.
ASSIGNMENTS
Remember
font type
and size is
Arial 9
Sample Assignment Entries
1. Month Year - Month Year, Duty Title, Unit, Installation, State
2. March 2005 - February 2008, Duty Title, Unit, Randolph AFB, Texas
3. February 2008 - July 2010, Duty Title, Unit, Maxwell AFB, Ala. (August
2008 - January 2009, Duty Title, Unit, Balad Air Base, Iraq)
4. July 2010 - June 2011, Student, Air Command and Staff College,
Maxwell AFB, Ala.
Summary of Joint Assignments
This section applies to officer personnel only; delete entire section if no joint
assignments.
Use bold font and all CAPITAL LETTERS for the heading; do not use a colon after the heading.
The format is the same as for “ASSIGNMENTS” with the addition of rank at the end of each
entry. List all joint assignments chronologically (first to most recent) by month and year
entered to month and year departed. Include the official duty title, unit, base and state.
Follow Public Affairs’ guidance for disclosure of contingency operations locations.
Do not use a period at the end of an assignment entry unless needed to abbreviate a state
(or Washington, D.C.).
Each entry ends with a statement of the rank held for the joint assignment (e.g., “…, as a
colonel”).
Example joint assignment entries
1. June 2006 - June 2008, Assistant Deputy Directorate for Special Operations, Operations Directorate, the
Joint Staff, Washington D.C., as a colonel
2. May 2008 - May 2010, Commander, Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component, Joint Base
Balad, Iraq, as a brigadier general
3. August 2012 - September 2014, Director, Command, Control, Communications and Cyber (J6), US
Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii, as a major general
Remember
font type
and size is
Arial 9
Flight Information
This section applies to flight rated personnel only (officer and enlisted);
delete entire section if not flight rated. Use bold font and all capital
letters for the heading; do not use a colon after the heading. List the
member’s rating, flight hours and aircraft flown. Use a colon with two
spaces after the colon for rating, flight hours and aircraft flown.
Rating: Level (none, senior, master, command) and type (pilot, navigator, air
battle manager, flight surgeon, flight nurse, astronaut, aircrew member).
Flight hours: Total is approximate (e.g., “More than 2,100”) and may include
combat time (e.g., “including more than 60 combat hours”). Do not round
up—the hours listed should be slightly less than the actual hours.
Aircraft flown: Listed chronologically with the most recent being listed last.
Example flight information entries
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 2,900 (Use “more than” not “over”)
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, OV-10, B-52G, B-1B and B-2
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 4,600
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-44, C-130E/H, C-130J
Remember
font type
and size is
Arial 9
Major Awards & Decorations
Use bold font and all CAPITAL LETTERS for the heading; do not use a colon after the
heading. Capitalize (Title Case) the names of all medals and ribbons listed.
Accoutrements (devices) are not capitalized (e.g., with bronze star, with two oak leaf
clusters, with “V” device). Never use “one” for a single award.
Officer and enlisted. List the member’s major military awards and decorations in
descending order of precedence (highest to lowest). NOTE: It is customary for
officers and senior enlisted members to list only Achievement Medals and higher
honors. Lower precedent honors are listed only if significant (e.g., Prisoner of War
Medal, Outstanding Airman of the Year Ribbon).
Example major awards and decorations entries
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal with two bronze stars
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Flying Cross
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with nine oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Remember
font type
and size is
Arial 9
Effective Dates of Promotion
Use bold font and all CAPITAL LETTERS for the heading; do not use a colon after
the heading. List the rank and effective date of promotion using the full rank,
month, day and year in AP style.
Officer. List all ranks from commissioning to the current rank held, such as follows:
Second Lieutenant June 1, 2000
First Lieutenant June 1, 2002
Captain June 2, 2004
Enlisted. List all ranks from enlistment to the current rank held as shown below.
Airman Basic Sept. 28, 2003
Airman March 28, 2004
Airman First Class Jan. 28, 2005
Senior Airman Sept. 28, 2006
Staff Sergeant July 1, 2008
Technical Sergeant July 1, 2011
Remember
font type
and size is
Arial 9
“(Current as of Month Year)”
The current as of date (month and year) are written in sentence
case and enclosed in parentheses one blank line below the
effective dates of promotion section.
An example current as of date is as follows: (Current as of August 2014)
Remember
font type
and size is
Arial 9
Optional Entries
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
List significant other achievements chronologically (first to most recent)
by year, followed by a space, and the title or brief description of the
achievement.
PUBLICATIONS
List the publications chronologically (first to most recent) by title and
publication data.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
List current and relevant professional memberships and associations by
name only.
Remember
font type
and size is
Arial 9
Common Errors
Common errors include:
Wrong font size
Wrong line spacing
Picture sized incorrectly
Margins incorrect – standard is 1” margins all around
Wrong information in first few paragraphs (usually paragraphs 1-3)
Use of dates incorrect
The use of “one” when awarded first decoration
Not spelling out AB, AFB, etc. on first use.
Incorrect state abbreviations
Not listing chronologically from oldest to newest
“By correspondence” not used correctly, must use location (i.e., Maxwell AFB, AL)
Duty Titles not in title case format (after 2011, must capitalize)
Date of Ranks do not include “Day”
Unauthorized deployment locations used
Official Biography not updated
Questions?
If you would like me to review your Official Biography after you
complete it, please email it to:
debra.gentry@us.af.mil
If you have further questions, I can be reached at (501) 987-4842 or
government cell at (501) 554-0639.
