SALT LAKE CITY, Utah –
Colonel Daniel D. Boyack, who serves as the Commander of the Utah Air National Guard, was promoted to brigadier general during a ceremony held on June 6, 2020 at the Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base.
Born and raised in Utah, Boyack enlisted with the Utah Air National Guard in 1994 as an aircrew life support technician. He then cross-trained and flew as a boom operator while he finished college. He commissioned as a second lieutenant through the Air National Guard’s Academy of Military Science in 2000 and attended Joint Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base, OK. Boyack was selected as the Distinguished Graduate and awarded the Commanders trophy as the top Pilot in his class. Boyack assumed his current post in June 2019, and is responsible for the command, control and operations of plans and programs for more than 1,400 Utah Air National Guard Airmen. Boyack is a veteran of several military operations and deployments and is currently serving as a drill status guardsman while employed as a pilot with a major airline. Boyack’s prior assignments include serving as the Director of Operations assigned to Headquarters Utah Air National Guard; the Vice Wing Commander, 151 Air Refueling Wing; Commander of the 191st Air Refueling Squadron; KC-135 Instructor and Evaluator Pilot, 191st Air Refueling Squadron; Chief of Wing Plans, 151st Air Refueling Wing; Mobility Pilot, Pilot Scheduler, 151st Operations Support Flight; Aircraft Commander, 191st Air Refueling Squadron; and Pilot, 191st Air Refueling Squadron. His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with oak leaf cluster, Aerial Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with silver hourglass and three ‘M’ devices.
At the ceremony, Boyack’s wife, Michelle, and father, Lt. Col. (retired) Paul Boyack, were invited on stage to pin on Boyack’s new rank. Following the pinning ceremony, Paul rendered his son his first salute as a newly promoted Brigadier General.
“These positions aren’t jobs, they are positions of trust and confidence where the price of failure is unacceptable, and it is only fitting that Dan Boyack is our newest brigadier general,” said Brig. Gen. Michael Turley, adjutant general of the Utah National Guard.
“Less than one-half of one percent get promoted to general in their careers,” Turley continued. “Boyack is a true servant leader. He focuses on the care and well-being of his Airman and always on the greater mission of our state and the nation; we are lucky to have him as a General Officer in the Utah National Guard.”
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Photos of the promotion ceremony can be found at: 
Col. Daniel Boyack, commander Utah Air National Guard, promotes to the rank of Brigadier General at a promotion ceremony at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, Salt Lake City, Utah on June 6, 2020. Boyack assumed his current post in June 2019, and is responsible for the command, control and operations of plans and programs for more than 1,400 Utah Air National Guard Airmen. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. John Winn)
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