Loren Perlstein joined the Air Force in 1972 as an enlisted Medical Service specialist and remained in the Reserve while completing his undergraduate and law degrees. He was commissioned as a judge advocate in the Air Force in June 1978 and served for four years at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. After separating from active duty in 1982, General Perlstein remained in the Air Force Reserve, serving as an individual mobilization augmentee. In 2005 he was appointed a U.S. Air Force Brigadier General, and in 2008 he received his second star as a Major General.