United States Air Force Lt Col Joseph Raffa was born and raised in Oswego, New York. He graduated Mexico High School in 2003 and attended Syracuse University from 2003 – 2007, where he commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force through Syracuse University’s Detachment 535 Air Force ROTC program. Joe met his wife Angela while both were attending Syracuse University, and they were married in Hendricks Chapel on May 26, 2007. They have three sons: Joseph Jr., Vincent, and Dominic.
After commissioning, Lt Col Raffa attended Undergraduate Pilot Training in Columbus, Mississippi, where he earned his pilot wings and was selected to remain as an instructor pilot in the T-1 Jayhawk for his first assignment. He was instrumental in training over seven hundred pilots to be assigned to various aircraft across the Air Force. After completing his first assignment, LtCol Raffa went on to fly the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 2012. While flying in the E-3 airframe, he was deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve, flying more than five hundred combat and combat support hours over Afghanistan and Iraq, receiving an Air Medal. After returning from that deployment, Lt Col Raffa again became an instructor and evaluator pilot in the E-3, completing his assignment as the Chief Pilot for the E-3 flying group at Tinker AFB.
In 2017, LtCol Raffa, Angela and their three sons, moved to Geilenkirchen, Germany where he was assigned to NATO’s Airborne Early Warning and Control Force. During this period, Lt Col Raffa managed the aviation safety program for NATO’s first multinational flying unit, encompassing personnel from sixteen nations, and he was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. Following his NATO assignment, LtCol Raffa was selected to fly for the Executive Airlift Wing at Joint Base Andrews, MD. He currently serves as an instructor and evaluator pilot in the C-37 Gulfstream G550, transporting the nation’s senior leaders, from the highest-ranking military members up to the Vice President of the United States, around the world. To date, Lt Col Raffa has served in the United States Air Force for just over 18 years accumulating more than 4,500 flight hours as a command pilot.
LtCol Raffa’s proudest military moment was being selected for this current position as an Executive Airlift pilot, allowing he and his family to be closer to all their extended family, and provide stability for their boys as he prepares to finish his military career.
