Air Force appoints scientist to Academy position Published Aug. 11, 2006 By Rudy Purificato 311th Human Systems Wing BROOKS CITY-BASE, Texas -- It's uncommon for an Air Force scientist to be immediately promoted to colonel after being selected to head an academic post at the U.S. Air Force Academy. It's even rarer to be selected as the first Air Force medical entomologist to chair the department of biology there. That opportunity recently came for Col. (Dr.) John Putnam, chief of medical zoology for the Air Force Institute for Operational Health. Dr. Putnam was promoted to colonel July 18 in what he described as a "very informal" ceremony officiated by Col. Paul Barnicott, AFIOH's deputy director. "I never even imagined when I joined the Air Force that I'd head a department at the Air Force Academy. It's a great honor and incredibly good fortune. I feel very humbled by it," Dr. Putnam said. The good fortune, other than the promotion which comes with the position, involves serving in the job for as long as he wants. If he stays there long enough, he will be automatically promoted to brigadier general upon his retirement from the Air Force. "I can stay there indefinitely. The job is viewed as a new career in the Air Force," Dr. Putnam said. The academic position is so unique that it required Secretary of the Air Force, U.S. Senate and White House approval. Once he assumes the job in September, he will no longer be part of the Air Force rotation cycle. He can stay there until he quits, gets fired or retires at the mandatory age of 64. At age 50, Dr. Putnam has a bright and tenured future at the Air Force Academy. "I love the whole world of academics, to have the opportunity to see people get inspired," he said. Apparently, those who selected him for the post from among six finalists were inspired by his scientific background and Air Force contributions. There are less than 24 entomologists in the Air Force. There are only 22 department chairs at the Academy. He applied for the position in October 2005. The department chair became available after its incumbent, Brig. Gen. Ronald Reed, died from cancer. Dr. Putnam had worked for him when the former worked there from 1995-2003 as an instructor. The son of retired Army veteran Harold Putnam, Dr. Putnam was born in Killeen near Fort Hood. The youngest of three siblings, he was the only one in his family to pursue a scientific career. "In high school I worked for a landscape business," recalled Dr. Putnam about how he initially became interested in insects. His boss's enthusiasm for learning more about how insects affect plants piqued the future entomologist's interest. Dr. Putnam earned a bachelor's degree in entomology from Michigan State University in 1978, then worked for the Peace Corps for three years in Thailand. It was in Thailand that he decided to pursue the medical entomology subspecialty after working for Royal Thai Malaria Control, a public health ministry in Bangkok. He subsequently earned a master's degree in entomology from the University of Florida in 1984 and a Ph.D. in medical entomology from the University of Maryland in 1994. Dr. Putnam earned a direct commission in the Air Force in 1986. He has been assigned to Brooks since 2003. His assignment to the Air Force Academy also comes with another bonus. He will be close to his son Kyle and daughter Laksamee, who are students at the University of Colorado at Boulder. "I will be the third head of the department of biology in the Academy's history. The biology department was not one of the original departments. It was part of the department of chemistry's life sciences," Dr. Putnam said. "Without a doubt, teaching there was the most rewarding experience for me in the Air Force. Having the opportunity to go back there is just a bonus," he said.