Richard S. Ritchie
From USAFA Folklore
Brigadier General Richard S. "Steve" Ritchie (June 1942–), Class of 1964, was a fighter pilot and an ace during the Vietnam War.
[edit] Early life
Ritchie was born in Reidsville, North Carolina, where he was a star quarterback in high, despite breaking his leg twice. In 1964, he graduated from the United States Air Force Academy, where, as a "walk-on", he became the starting halfback for the Falcons in 1962 and 1963.
[edit] Vietnam
Ritchie entered pilot training at Laredo Air Force Base, Texas, and finished number one in his class. His first operational assignment was with Flight Test Operations at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where he flew the F-104 Starfighter. Two years later he transitioned into the F-4 Phantom II at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida, in preparation for his first tour in Southeast Asia.
Assigned to the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam in 1968, Ritchie flew the first "Fast FAC" mission in the F-4 forward air controller program and was instrumental in the spread and success of the program. In 1969, he reported to the Air Force Fighter Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada where, at 26, he became one of the youngest instructors in the history of the school.
Ritchie volunteered for a second combat tour in 1972 and was assigned to the 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Udon RTAFB, Thailand. Flying an F-4D with the famed 555th ("Triple Nickel") Tactical Fighter Squadron he shot down his first MiG-21 on 10 May 1972. He scored a second victory on 31 May, downing another MiG-21. On 8 July, two more MiG-21s fell to Ritchie's missiles. Then, on 28 August, leading a flight of four F-4D Phantoms on a combat air patrol north of Hanoi, Ritchie engaged and destroyed his fifth MiG-21, thereby becoming the United States Air Force's first and only pilot ace of the Vietnam War.
[edit] Epilogue
After completing 339 combat missions totaling over 800 flying hours, Ritchie returned from his second combat tour as one of the most highly decorated pilots in the Vietnam War. His decorations included the Air Force Cross, four Silver Stars, 10 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 25 Air Medals. His combat achievements earned him the 1972 Mackay Trophy for the most significant Air Force mission of the Year, the Academy's 1972 Jabara Award for airmanship, and the 1972 Armed Forces Award, presented by the Veterans of Foreign Wars for outstanding contributions to the national security of the United States. He retired from the Air Force in 1999.
Ritchie ran for Congress from North Carolina, and has held various executive positions in private life. He lives in Boulder, Colorado and works as a motivational speaker. He has continued to fly the F-4 into the new millennium, piloting the F-4D that has been fully restored by the Collins Foundation. Appropriately enough, this F-4 is painted to replicate Ritchie's Vietnam era ride. (There have been plans to use this F-4 in a Vietnam Memorial Flight to do re-enactments with a MiG-21 and other period aircraft similar to how the Commemorative Air Force stages Pearl Harbor-type displays at airshows around the country.)
