Brig. Gen. Amy Bumgarner, commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, selected two new inductees to the AFOSI Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2026, including retired Special Agents Jack Angelo and Kevin Poorman.
Established in 1998, the AFOSI Hall of Fame was established as part of the command’s 50th anniversary year celebrations. It was created to recognize a select few former members of the organization who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and leadership in the performance of their duties which sets them apart from others who have served with AFOSI.
Those chosen for induction must have made significant and long-term contributions to the AFOSI mission or performed an unusually heroic action. To date, from the 77-year history of the organization, only 51 former members have been forever enshrined into the AFOSI Hall of Fame. Angelo and Poorman join this elite group as numbers 52 and 53.
“The AFOSI Hall of Fame is vital because it connects our heritage to our current operations, reinforcing the foundational ‘why’ of our mission and ensuring we remain anchored to our core values,” Bumgarner said. “While tactics, techniques and procedures evolve and change, our core mandate remains constant: defend the nation, find the truth, seek justice, and protect the integrity of the Department of the Air Force.
“The Hall of Fame celebrates this enduring, common bond that unites past, present and future OSI personnel,” she said. “We are who we are today because of those who served before us. It bridges the gap between historical achievements and present-day execution. In the words of Mark Twain, ‘history never repeats itself, but it often rhymes.’ By honoring those who laid our foundation, our command ensures that our history ‘rhymes’ – meaning that today’s personnel can draw inspiration and lessons from past triumphs to solve tomorrow's complex national security challenges.”
Ret. Special Agent Jack Angelo
Upon learning of his selection to the AFOSI Hall of Fame, Angelo said he was truly humbled and deeply grateful to be selected.
“To be included among so many remarkable men and women, especially those who mentored and inspired me throughout my career, is an honor I never expected,” he said
Angelo enlisted in the Air Force in 1979 serving with the Air Force Security Police in Texas and Montana for the first 7 years of his active-duty service.
He cross-trained into AFOSI in 1986, earning his Special Agent credentials upon graduation from the USAF Special Investigations Academy with Class 86-D. Over the next 14 years, Angleo served in positions in Germany, California, Illinois, Korea and Tennessee.
His first assignment with AFOSI saw him enter the world of undercover operations targeting narcotics trafficking and performing counterintelligence functions in Europe during the Cold War. Angelo supported the investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and he developed and led an installation-based surveillance and counterintelligence team which resulted in the apprehension and conviction of six foreign nationals who were spying on Air Force operations in Germany.
His undercover work in narcotics investigations continued upon return to the United States, as did his criminal investigations and fraud work, leading to hundreds of arrests, the discovery of millions of dollars of misspent funds, and the protection of Air Force information technology systems.
In the early-to-mid-1990s, Angelo directed AFOSI’s counterintelligence efforts during operations in Somalia, Rwanda, and Haiti.
This included a deployment to Mogadishu, where under near combat conditions his duties included mitigating threats against all U.S. forces in that country. His efforts ultimately resulted in the capture four Somalis attempting to steal and convert stolen United Nations’ vehicles into “technical” assault trucks.
In support of operations in Haiti, Angelo is credited with leading a sensitive source operation in Canada that exposed a plan to assassinate three senior U.S. military officers, ensuring their safe evacuation from that country.
He retired from active-duty service in 2000 at the rank of Senior Master Sergeant, having served multiple assignments in the field and as a Senior Enlisted leader at the detachment level, culminating with a post as a Special Agent in Charge.
After his military service was completed, Angleo immediately rejoined AFOSI as a civilian Special Agent, serving for another 20 years at locations in Maryland, Iraq, Oklahoma, Washington DC, Afghanistan, and at AFOSI Headquarters.
Serving as an instructor at the USAF Special Investigations Academy, he directed the creation and approval of AFOSI’s first Learning Management System. Angelo was also personally selected as a Co-Project Manager for planning, curriculum development, and facility renovations during the academy’s two-year move from Andrews AFB, MD, to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia, which was completed in 2002.
During this transition, Angelo helped to ensure that the legacy academy site remained fully operational, meeting critical post-Sept. 11th, 2001, training demands. In this role, he also supported the Pentagon attack investigations by processing evidence removed from the building’s wreckage.
Serving as an Operations Team Chief during a deployment to Iraq in 2004, he led a 23-person multi-agency unit that dismantled terrorist and insurgent networks that were financing and conducting attacks on coalition forces. Angelo led over 75 ‘outside the wire’ missions and several combat raids resulting in the capture of 19 terrorists and the seizure of over 30k pounds of chemicals and explosives, earning himself the Bronze Star. His team’s source network also subverted an assassination plot against the Senior American Ambassador in Iraq, along with preventing other major attacks in Baghdad.
Beginning in 2009, Angelo served as the Deputy Director for the AFOSI Office of Special Projects, later serving as the Special Agent in Charge of that unit’s Detachment 9, where he and his teams tackled the AFOSI, Air Force, and Department of Defense’s most complex high-interest cases. In this role, Angelo spearheaded numerous highly classified multiagency counterintelligence investigative matters that involved Air Force and Department of Defense special access programs.
Angelo deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 as the Deputy Director of a 72-person Joint Counterintelligence Unit, overseeing six remote sites in that country. During his deployment he personally visited each location to assess security and living conditions, he conducted meetings with allied leaders, as he focused on continuously ensuring troop welfare. Under his leadership, the unit produced over 600 intelligence reports and threat assessments and conducted many successful counterespionage operations, which also included the completion of 65 ‘outside-the-wire’ counterintelligence missions.
From 2014 to 2018, he served as the Deputy Associate Director for Law Enforcement at AFOSI Headquarters. His final assignment with AFOSI was as the first Executive Director of the AFOSI Center, which was activated in 2018. In this role, he also served as AFOSI’s first ever Technology Protection Mission Manager. Angelo retired from civilian service with AFOSI in 2020.
Serving as a co-sponsor for Angelo’s nomination to the AFOSI Hall of Fame was his son, current AFOSI Special Agent Zachary Angelo.
“It was a privilege to help co-sponsor the nomination package, and I am proud to see my father’s career officially recognized,” commented the younger Angelo. “Seeing firsthand how much time and energy my father poured into AFOSI gave me a very clear picture of what absolute commitment to the mission looks like. He truly loved the work. I am deeply grateful for the mentorship and operational knowledge he has passed down. His selection to the Hall of Fame is a fitting and well-earned tribute to the demanding career he built and the lifelong effort he dedicated to AFOSI. His guidance has equipped me with a strong, realistic foundation to build on as we face the future challenges of our mission."
Special Agent (Retired) Bob Hicks, a member of the AFOSI Hall of Fame Class of 2013, who served with the command from 1975 to 2005, acted as the other co-sponsor for Angelo’s nomination.
"Whether facing the dangers of the war zone or developing the agents entrusted to his leadership, Jack Angelo set the standard for what it means to lead,” Hicks reflected. “He was consistently the first to step into harm's way, asking nothing of his people that he wasn't willing to do himself. His true legacy, however, lives on in the leaders he mentored — men and women now carrying forward the mission he helped define.”
Angelo mostly credits his family and those he served with for his career successes and for his selection to the AFOSI Hall of Fame.
“This recognition would not have been possible without the unwavering support of my wife, family, exceptional leaders, teammates, and the many friends and colleagues, both within and outside AFOSI, who encouraged, challenged, and supported me throughout my career,” Angelo commented. “My early mentors taught me that leadership is about taking a genuine interest in your people and leaving every case, program, and organization better than you found it. I tried to carry that philosophy with me throughout my career. If that is part of the legacy I leave behind, I would be proud and grateful."
Ret. Special Agent Kevin Poorman
Poorman was equally humbled by his selection to the AFOSI Hall of Fame.
“Being selected for the AFOSI Hall of Fame is deeply meaningful,” Poorman said. “OSI shaped how I think, lead, and serve, and to be recognized by the organization that defined so much of my professional life is an honor I accept with gratitude and humility. It’s a reminder of the great people, the critical mission, and the high standards that mattered every day.”
Kevin Poorman entered the Air Force in 1979 after graduating with distinction from the Air Force ROTC program at Indiana University. He joined AFOSI directly, earning his Special Agent credentials with academy class 79-D. Poorman served on active duty with AFOSI for over 20 years at locations in California, DC, the Philippines, Nevada and Japan.
Throughout the first half of his AFOSI career, he served as an anchor in support of the AFOSI law enforcement mission primarily charged with investigating major felony crimes and procurement fraud matters impacting Air Force personnel and resources.
As a Second Lieutenant, Poorman’s investigative skills and acumen led to a conviction during an extremely sensitive case involving a high-ranking Air Force officer. In a similar fashion, his investigative efforts also led to the exoneration of two senior civilian officials. For these accomplishments, Poorman was named as a Detachment Commander, despite having barely completed his probationary status as a Special Agent.
During the early 1980s, Poorman served as a lead investigator on several high profile and detailed cases involving the murder of an Air Force spouse and several aircraft and missile mishaps, as he continued to develop and refine his abilities as a master in forensics.
Poorman was hand-picked to serve as the Regional Forensic Consultant at Clark AFB in the Philippines in 1986. At the time, this position was widely regarded as the toughest forensic assignment in AFOSI, covering the command’s largest geographic region which routinely involved some of the most serious violent crime cases, all in an environment with limited forensic expertise and laboratory resources as compared to other regions. While in the Pacific, Poorman was directly responsible for the resolution of numerous violent crime cases, including the assassinations of several American military service members and a civilian.
In 1987, when a B-52 bomber on a training mission at Anderson AB, Guam, was struck by multiple rounds of small-arms fire forcing a crash landing, Poorman was called in to assess and organize the investigative response. His examination revealed that ten .223-caliber rounds had struck the right side of the aircraft causing hydraulic and braking problems. Using mathematics and engineering to triangulate the impact angles of the rounds, Poorman was able to determine the origin of the shots which resulted in locating the perpetrator and ending up with an arrest and conviction.
Already one of AFOSI's top forensic experts, he was reassigned to the AFOSI Headquarters Forensic Science Program Office, overseeing policy and the development and worldwide delivery of forensic specialty support to all AFOSI.
In 1994, Poorman was selected to become AFOSI’s first ever Criminal Program Manager at AFOSI Headquarters responsible for overseeing AFOSI's largest investigative program, running over 6,000 cases annually. His leadership drove major advancements in DoD criminal and forensic science programs and he authored Air Force-wide policy on cutting-edge forensic technologies which strengthened investigative and prosecutorial success throughout the Air Force.
Poorman retired from active-duty service with AFOSI in 1999 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
After a short break in service, Poorman rejoined AFOSI in 2000 as a civilian Special Agent. He went on to serve an additional 20 years with AFOSI with assignments at the USAF Special Investigations Academy, at AFOSI Headquarters, and during a 2-year stint in Germany.
He began the civilian phase of his career at the academy serving as the Basic and Advanced Programs Manager and as an Instructor, where he overhauled the academy's forensic curriculum, introduced updated lesson plans, and developed realistic scenarios that reflected the latest forensic science and investigative techniques.
From 2000 to 2002, in partnership with Jack Angelo, Poorman was also selected by AFOSI leadership to serve as a Co-Project Manager during the relocation of the academy, also playing a key role in transition planning, curriculum development, and facility renovations.
In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, because of his extensive forensic sciences experience and expertise, Poorman was assigned to work with a multi-disciplinary federal law enforcement team that helped to assess, preserve, and document evidence recovered from inside the Pentagon.
He was later sent to New York City to assist a multi-agency law enforcement team investigating leads in the aftermath of the World Trade Center Twin Towers attacks. Trained in the use of cognitive and hypnotic interviewing, Poorman was assigned to conduct specific interviews of individuals who were thought to have observed preoperational planning actions by those responsible for the attacks.
While in Germany from 2005 to 2007, he spearheaded a joint fraud investigation with the German government which recovered over $30 million in funds related to a military construction project.
Poorman was a key advocate and planner during the establishment of the AFOSI Office of Procurement Fraud as a named organization in 2013. He was also instrumental with efforts that separated Investigations Collections Operations Nexus (ICON) operations from AFOSI Headquarters leading to the activation of the AFOSI Center in 2018.
During the latter stages of his career, Poorman was also responsible for personally reviewing and rewriting the Command Criminal Investigations Instructions, he championed the reorganization of the Director of Operations positions at each AFOSI Region, and he designed and launched the command’s Sexual Crimes Investigations Training Program. As a recognized Department of Defense and Air Force forensic and criminal investigations subject material expert, Poorman served on numerous Congressional, Department of the Defense and Air Force Commissions, Policy Task Forces and Blue Ribbon Panels.
He represented the command and testified before Congressional House and Senate Armed Services Committees, Caucus hearings, and Congressional staffer events over 20 plus times during his career.
His nomination package noted that Poorman was often the first person from any of the military services to be sought out by Congressional staffers related specifically to the issue of sexual assault due to his expertise from having served for more than 17 years as the “face and spokesperson” for most issues related to sexual crimes investigations within AFOSI.
He was also known within the Department of Defense as a trusted authority for AFOSI and the Air Force related to anything that pertained to law enforcement forensic sciences and the handling of evidence.
Poorman retired from civilian service with AFOSI in 2020, receiving the Outstanding Civilian Career Service Award at his retirement ceremony.
In addition to being selected for the AFOSI Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2026 himself, Jack Angelo also uniquely contributed to Poorman’s inclusion in the class having served as the sponsor of his nomination, with Angelo describing him as a ‘steadfast, deliberate, and determined leader’, especially notable for his exceptional insights as a Special Agent and his overall dedication to the command.
"I had the privilege of serving alongside Special Agent Kevin Poorman for more than two decades,” Angelo said. “He was a trusted colleague, mentor, and friend to me and countless others whose integrity, sound judgment and unwavering dedication left a lasting impact. His influence will continue to be felt for many years to come.”
Asked to consider the most lasting impacts he made during his career with AFOSI, Poorman reflected: “I’m most proud of the work I helped move forward at Headquarters to strengthen AFOSI’s criminal and fraud missions — expanding resources, improving training, and ensuring our investigative enterprise directly supported the Air Force’s ability to fly, fight, and win. A commander once reminded me that ‘the Air Force doesn’t exist just so AFOSI has something to run cases on,’ and that perspective guided my efforts as we navigated intense scrutiny of our violent crime investigations and reinforced the quality and integrity of our processes. Helping Headquarters refocus on true headquarters functions and advancing modern investigative practices — from recorded interviews, to acquiring more agents and capabilities through Congressional legislation, to standing up specialized sexual crimes training — is the part of my legacy I value most.”
Angelo and Poorman were selected to be members of the AFOSI Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. They will be formally inducted into the AFOSI Hall of Fame during a ceremony that will be co-hosted by the Association of Former OSI Special Agents in 2027.
“Jack Angelo and Kevin Poorman embody the very fabric of AFOSI,” Bumgarner said, regarding their selection to the AFOSI Hall of Fame. “Their legacy is defined by unmatched dedication, pioneering innovation, and an enduring commitment to mentorship that continues to shape the command today. Both inductees set the standard for what it means to ‘bleed AFOSI.’ Their work ethics and willingness to consistently go above and beyond created benchmarks of excellence within their respective programs and mission areas. Many personnel currently serving across the command were directly mentored or profoundly influenced by the work, guidance, and standards established by Special Agent Angelo and Special Agent Poorman. By weaving their lives and careers into the bedrock of the organization, they have provided a blueprint of exceptional service for all current and future AFOSI personnel to aspire to.”
AFOSI Hall of Fame eligibility is open to all former military and full-time civilian AFOSI personnel. This includes all agents, non-agents, and reservists assigned to any AFOSI field unit from Jan. 1, 1948, through the present.
Candidates must have been retired or separated from AFOSI for at least five years to be considered. Nominations are accepted throughout the year and must be submitted prior to December 31st to be considered for the next calendar year.
Nominations must be based on genuine knowledge or documented research. Only nominations for individuals will be accepted. Contact the AFOSI History Office at AFOSI.HO.Historian@us.af.mil for more information.