A former Tamaqua area resident is retiring from the U.S. Air Force.

Maj. Joseph C. Denning III, son of Joseph and Brenda Denning of MaryD, was honored for his military years of service at a retirement ceremony on Nov. 14 at the Pentagon Chapel in Washington, D.C. His official date of retirement will be Feb. 1, 2017.The 1991 graduate of Tamaqua Area High School graduated from the University of Scranton in 1995 with a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice. He began basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas in January 1997, graduating with honors in July of that year.In October 1997, he was a distinguished graduate of the Electronic Countermeasures Technical School at Keesler AFB in Mississippi, After graduation, Denning was assigned to the 11th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana.Selected for Officer Training School, he was commissioned as a first lieutenant on Jan. 14, 2000, and achieved the rank of major on Sept. 1, 2009.His career has taken him to many states, from Alaska to Wyoming, ending his career as Chief, Space Support Branch at Space Forces Requirements Division in Washington, D.C. He received a number of annual, quarterly and monthly awards, including the 2014 Howard W. Leaf Award for outstanding achievement by a U.S. Air Force test team for his work as Test Director of the COBRA King high-tech radar system.In addition to his honor graduate awards, Denning has also received a Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster; a Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster; Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster; Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster; AF Outstanding Unit Award with six oak leaf clusters; Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with oak leaf cluster; and the Air Force Recognition Ribbon.Married to the former Jamie Weaver, the couple has three children: Eliana, Kergan and Dylan.Denning is the grandson of the late Joseph and Emma Denning of Saint Clair and the late Wayne and Ruth Hartung of MaryD.