Colonel Jason Laird graduated from Wayland Baptist University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 2004. His military education includes The Basic School, Naval Flight Training, CH-46/MV-22 Flight Training, Expeditionary Warfare School, the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course, the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Command and Staff College (CSC), and the Department of Defense Strategic Thinkers Program. Col Laird holds advanced degrees from the USMC CSC, Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), and Johns Hopkins University (JHU). He was a member of the Advanced Studies Program at CSC, graduated with distinction from NPS, and graduated with honors from JHU.
In late 2004, after The Basic School, Second Lieutenant Laird began flight training in Pensacola, Florida, and Corpus Christi, Texas, earning his Naval Aviator designation in October 2006. He then trained in the CH-46E at Marine Medium Helicopter Training Squadron 164 (HMMT-164), Camp Pendleton, California, before joining Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 365 (HMM-365), later redesignated Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 (VMM-365), at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River, North Carolina. While at VMM-365, he deployed multiple times to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
In December 2012, he transferred to Marine Aircraft Group 36 (MAG-36) in Okinawa, Japan, serving on the MAG staff and with VMM-265/VMM-262. As a Captain and later a Major, he held positions including Pilot Training Officer, Assistant Operations Officer, and Aircraft Maintenance Officer. He deployed multiple times with MAG-36 and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to Australia, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, and Nepal. In February 2016, he served as the Marine Aircrew Training Systems Squadron Officer in Charge and 1st Marine Aircraft Wing Flight Leadership Standardization Evaluator before transferring to Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC).
In Washington, D.C., Lieutenant Colonel Laird served as the HQMC MV-22B Requirements Officer and Aide-de-Camp to the Deputy Commandant for Marine Aviation. He then returned to MAG-36 as the Group Operations Officer and later commanded VMM-265 (REIN) while deployed with the 31st MEU.
Colonel Laird recently served as the Deputy Director of Operations at HQMC Plans, Policies & Operations. He is married and has two children.