Air Guard commander killed in hit-and-run accident

The brigadier general of the New Hampshire Air National Guard was killed in a hit-and-run accident near his home, the NHANG said on Tuesday.

Brigadier General John Pogorek, 57, has served as NHANG commander since June 2022. A professional pilot, he previously commanded the 157th Air Refueling Squadron, the NHANG’s premier flying unit. The squadron’s 133rd Refueling Squadron flies KC-46 tankers from Pease Air National Guard Base outside Portsmith. Under Pogorek’s leadership, the squadron transitioned from Cold War-era KC-135 tankers to KC-46s.

“On behalf of the entire state of New Hampshire, I extend my sincere condolences to General Pogorek’s family,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “General Pogorek served his state, his country and his community with honor. His dedication and contributions to the Granite State will never be forgotten.”

A 1989 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Pogorek spent his early years flying in some of the Air Force’s most demanding flight roles, flying HC-130 tankers with special operations and combat search and rescue units in England. He transitioned to the airliner-based KC-135 and joined the NHANG in 1999.

For the past 25 years, he served as an instructor and test pilot on the KC-135 and in several leadership positions within the 157th Squadron before taking over as its commander in 2018.

As the NHANG’s deputy adjutant general, Pogorek supervised more than 1,300 officers, airmen and civilians at Pease Air National Guard Base in Newington. General Pogorek was a pilot and accumulated more than 6,675 flight hours in 31 years with the U.S. Air Force and NHANG. He oversaw the deployment and operation of the Air National Guard’s first fleet of KC-46A tanker aircraft.

He leaves behind his wife Whitney and their five children.