Years of service: 30 Years. 9 years active/21 years Reserves.

Highest rank attained: Captain O6, U.S. Navy (Retired)

Qualifying service for the VFW: 

2014-2015: Chief of Staff for U.S. Navy Individual Augmentees; Deployed to Mideast that included service in Afghanistan.

2000: deployed after 9/11 to Force Protection operation at the port of Alexandria, Egypt,

Highlights/Notes:

Commissioned in U.S. Navy from Officer Candidate School, Newport, Rhode Island.  Active duty as Surface Warfare qualified officer serving aboard several ships.  Served in Civil Engineer Corps in Seal Beach, CA (Licensed as a Civil Engineer). Transitioned to Reserves and served in a variety of billets that included: 7 commanding officer tours, weapons station operations, construction management, shipboard operations, carrier strike group staff support, Naval Forces Japan augmentation, coastal warfare, beach group operations, the Navy’s rep for homeland security for the State of Minnesota, commissioned-unit command, and leading the largest Navy unit based in MN.

Richard has 5 children and several grandchildren, and he resides in Lakeville MN. He is the owner/operator of a publishing business and online magazine.