Where did you serve and what did you do?
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Tichich’s last assignment was as Director of Information Technology (J6) for Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was responsible for all Information Technology (IT) infrastructure issues including prioritizing and coordinating daily operations, establishing budget requirements, and long-term planning. He provided complete direction and oversight of the JTF-GTMO enterprise network, including strategic planning, capital planning and investment control, policy and standards, resource planning, knowledge management, architecture and infrastructure planning, and security management. Taking direction and guidance from the Chief of Staff, JTF-GTMO, he provided policy and guidance to ensure all current and proposed IT systems, network services, data management, and IT systems were fully planned, installed, configured and tested to standards if full support of the JTF-GTMO mission.
Lieutenant Colonel Tichich enlisted in the Air Force in 1974. After completing basic and technical training as a computer technician, he was stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas until being discharge from active duty in 1979. He immediately joined the Air Force Reserves in Minneapolis, serving 6 years in the 934th Communications Flight. He joined the Minnesota Air National Guard, 210th Engineering Installations Squadron (210th EIS) until accepting a commission and becoming an Engineering Officer with the 133rd Civil Engineer Squadron in 1986. In 1991, he accepted a full-time Air National Guard Technician (Civil Service) position as the Deputy Base Civil Engineer for the 133rd Airlift Wing. In 1994 Lieutenant Colonel Tichich returned to the 210th EIS as the full-time Executive Officer and Workload Controller. In 1998 he moved to the Minnesota Joint Force Headquarters (MN JFHQ) in Saint Paul, working as a Personnel Officer in the Human Resource Office. In 2000 he moved into the position of Deputy J6, MN JFHQ. He deployed in May 2007 as the Engineering Installations Officer-in-Charge on the A-Staff at Shaw Air Force Base and followed on to the Engineering Installation Officer on the Air Staff at Al Udeid Air Base Qatar. He returned to his position as Deputy J6 in October 2007 and was redeployed in February 2008 as the commander of the 386th Mission Support Group, Detachment 1, Command Cell, Army Camp Life Support Area (LSA), Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait. In April 2008 he assumed the position of 602d TRG (P) Detachment Commander at various locations, responsible for ADCON for Airmen attending Combat Skills Training, primarily for Airmen assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) deploying to Afghanistan. He assumed his position at Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in February 2010.
He retired from the full-time Civil Service position as Deputy-J6 Technician in May 2009.
He retired from the Minnesota Air National Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel in January 2012.
How are you #StillServing?
Volunteering Experience (1200 hours per year)
Patrick Air Force Base (43%)
• Director, Retiree Activities Office (RAO)
• Volunteer-Recruiter and Coordinator (Project Emeritus)
• Advertisement Manager (Project Emeritus)
Eastern Florida State College (26%) – tutor
• Algebra
• Trigonometry
• Calculus
• Physics
• Business
Military Officer Association of America, Cape Canaveral Chapter (17%)
• Chair, Scholarship Selection Committee
Air Force Space and Missile Museum (6%) – Gift Shop cashier
USO (Space Coast area) (4%) – Greeter
VFW Cape Canaveral, Post 10131 – Sr Vice Commander
Why do you do it?
Passionate about serving the USA