Chief Warrant Officer Five Darren E. Dreher assumed duties as Command Chief Warrant Officer (CCWO) of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard on October 1, 2023. As CCWO, he is the senior ranking Warrant Officer, responsible to The Adjutant General (TAG) for a variety of matters pertaining to policies and actions affecting Warrant Officer (WO) cohorts. His duties relate to WO education, management, recruiting and career enhancement, including Equal Opportunity, MWR, discipline, performance, training, awards, and recognition. He chairs the State WO Advisory Council and represents TAG at official functions as required.
Prior to his current assignment, he served as the State Standardization Instructor Pilot in the State Aviation Office. He served a few roles in the Army Aviation Support Facility #1 (AASF#1), as the Facility Operations Officer, IP Supervisor, and the facility SIP/AMSO, his primary role as a UH-60 A/L Blackhawk Standardization Instructor Pilot and Instrument Flight Examiner while simultaneously serving as the 28th ID, Aviation Mission Survivability Officer, (AMSO).
CW5 Dreher entry in the Warrant Officer cohort was through “street to seat, pilot” program, graduating flight school in 1986. He first served in A CO. 1st of the 158th Air Assault Company and flew UH-1 Iroquois, (Huey). He transferred to the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in 1995.
His operational assignments include three tours of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Saber Strike exercises in the Baltic Nations.
Throughout CW5 Dreher’s career he has been qualified to fly numerous aircraft to include, OH-58 Kiowa’s, AH-1F Cobra, UH-1H Iroquois, OH-58A/C Kiowa, and UH-60A/L Blackhawks, C-23 Sherpa, five different versions of the C-12 Huron, and most recently flying the C-26A/B Metroliner. He is credited over 5100 actual flight hours, 1,166 are Combat or Imminent Danger flight hours.
He graduated from Blue Mountain High School 1984 and holds a Doctorate in Chiropractic from Pennsylvania College of Chiropractic. Additional certifications for Radiology and Physical Therapeutics and Commercial Flight Instructor and Instrument Flight Instructor for rotary wing and fixed wing.
His military education includes Army Flight School, Warrant Officer (WO) Basic Course, WO Advance Course, WO Staff Course and the WO Senior Staff course.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medals (1 Bronze OLC), Air Medals (1 Bronze OLC), Army Commendation Medal (1 Silver OLC) and Army Achievement Medal (4 Bronze OLC), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Master Aviation Badge.
CW5 Dreher lives in Schuylkill Haven, PA with his wife Kate. He has two daughters, Chelsea and Callie.