Col. Krystal Murphy is the Commander of the 51st Medical Group, 51st Fighter Wing and the Command Surgeon, 7th Air Force, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea. As commander, she provides leadership and direction for 380 personnel in four squadrons in the Air Force's most forward-deployed permanent wing. The group's primary mission is to prevent disease, optimize performance and provide clinical care to over 14,000 warfighters, dependents, and DoD civilians on a daily basis, and transition to contingency medical care at a moment's notice. As the 7th Air Force Command Surgeon, she serves as the primary medical adviser to the numbered Air Force commander.
Col. Murphy grew up in Alma, Neb. and is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. After her first operational assignment at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., she served as the Chief, Bioenvironmental Engineer (BEE), Radiation Safety Officer and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Medical Defense Officer at five other installations, including overseas tours in Korea and Japan. During her time in Japan,
Col. Murphy also served as the 35th Fighter Wing Director of Staff. Col. Murphy's other staff assignments include positions on the Air Mobility Command Surgeon General's staff and in the U.S. Strategic Command's Center for Combating WMD. She also deployed to Headquarters, Central Air Forces to support fellow BEEs at 14 sites in seven nations during Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Col. Murphy also served as the senior Air Force Fellow at Argonne National laboratory, near Chicago, and commanded the
82d Aerospace Medicine Squadron at Sheppard AFB, Texas. Prior to her current assignment, Col. Murphy chaired the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and served as the Associate Dean of Bioenvironmental Engineering at the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Science in Biology, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 1991 Master of Science, Zoology (emphasis Endocrinology), Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz. 1991 Bioenvironmental Engineering AFSC-Awarding Course, Brooks AFB, Texas
1997 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Air Command and Staff College (Correspondence) 2007 Air War College (Correspondence)
2008 Intermediate Executive Skills, Sheppard AFB, Texas
2012 National Laboratory Technical Fellowship Program, Argonne National Laboratory, Ill.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1990 - August 1991. AFIT M.S. Student, Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.
2. August 1991 - June 1995. Deputy Chief, Bioenvironmental Engineering, Luke AFB, Ariz.
3. July 1995 - May 1998. Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight Commander, Shaw AFB, S.C.
4. May 1998 - May 1999. Chief, Bioenvironmental Engineering, Kunsan AB, ROK
5. June 1999 - June 2002. Chief, Bioenvironmental Engineering, Eielson AFB, Alaska
6. June 2002 - November 2003. Chief Environmental Surveillance & NBC Defense, HQ AMC/SG, Ill.
7. November 2003 - July 2006. Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight Commander, Peterson AFB, Colo.
8. July 2006 - June 2008. Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight Commander and Senior BSC Executive, Misawa AB, Japan
9. June 2008-July 2009. 35th Fighter Wing Director of Staff, Misawa AB, Japan
10. July 2009-July 2011. Global Synchronization Branch Chief, SCC-WMD, Fort Belvoir, Va.
11. July 2011-July 2012. National Laboratory Technical Fellowship, Argonne National Laboratory, Ill.
12. July 2012-August 2014. Commander, 82d Aerospace Medicine Squadron, Sheppard AFB, Texas
13. August 2014-May 2015. Chair, Department of Occupational & Environmental Health and Associate Dean, Bioenvironmental Engineering, USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
14. May 2015-present. Commander, 51st Medical Group and Command Surgeon, 7th Air Force, Osan AB, ROK
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with 5 devices
Air Force Commendation Medal with 2 devices
Air Force Achievement Medal with 1 device
MEDICAL CERTIFICATIONS/MEMBERSHIPS
Certified Industrial Hygienist
Diplomat, American Board of Industrial Hygiene
Member, American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
Past Chair, AIHA Incident Preparedness and Response Working Group
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 1990
First Lieutenant May 1992
Captain May 1994
Major August 2001
Lieutenant Colonel May 2007
Colonel November 2014