Cecil R. Richardson
| Cecil R. Richardson | |
|---|---|
 Major General Cecil R. Richardson 16th Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force | |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1966 - 2012 |
| Rank |
 Major General |
| Awards |
 Distinguished Service Medal Def. Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit |
Chaplain (Major General) Cecil R. Richardson, USAF retired as the 16th Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force, effective June 1, 2012,[1] with an official retirement ceremony on May 30, 2012.[2] He was appointed to that assignment on May 28, 2008.[1][3]
Richardson, a member of the Assemblies of God, was the first Pentecostal minister to be promoted to flag officer rank in the U.S. Air Force.[4] He has said that his role was to be "a pastor to Christians, and a chaplain to all."[5]
Early military career
Before ordination, Richardson served in the Air Force as an enlisted man, working as a Russian interpreter and intercept operator.[1]
With Brig Gen Mike Holmes, during Richardson's first visit to Bagram Airbase Afghanistan since taking over as Air Force Chief of Chaplains.
Education
Richardson's educational background includes:[1]
- 1973 Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical studies, Evangel University, Springfield, Mo.
- 1976 Master of Divinity degree in Hebrew studies, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Ill.
- 1981 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
- 1988 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
- 1992 Air War College, by seminar
Assignments
Richardson served as Deputy Air Force Chief of Chaplains from April 2004-May 2008, and began serving as Chief of Chaplains May 2008. Prior to these positions, his assignments included:[1]
Enlisted assignments
- June 1966 - May 1967, Russian language student, Syracuse University, N.Y.
- June 1967 - August 1967, electronic intercept student, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
- August 1967 - December 1968, Russian intercept operator, Karamursel Air Base, Turkey
- January 1969 - January 1970, Russian interpreter, National Security Agency, Fort George G. Meade, Md.
Chaplain assignments
- April 1977 - June 1980, Protestant chaplain, 314th Tactical Airlift Wing, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
- June 1980 - July 1981, senior Protestant chaplain, 5073rd Air Base Group, Shemya AFB, Alaska
- July 1981 - July 1983, Protestant chaplain, 1606th Air Base Wing, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
- July 1983 - July 1984, Air Staff Training officer, Office of the Chief of Chaplains, Bolling AFB, D.C.
- July 1984 - June 1986, senior Protestant chaplain, 410th Bombardment Wing, K.I. Sawyer AFB, Mich.
- June 1986 - June 1988, installation staff chaplain, 7276th Air Base Group, Iraklion Air Station, Greece
- June 1988 - July 1991, Chief, Education and Professional Development Division, Office of the Command Chaplain, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
- July 1991 - June 1993, senior chaplain, 62nd Airlift Wing, McChord AFB, Wash.
- June 1993 - August 1995, assignments officer, Office of the Chief of Chaplains, Bolling AFB, D.C.
- August 1995 - February 1997, Executive Director, Armed Forces Chaplains Board, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
- February 1997 - June 2000, Command Chaplain, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
- July 2000 - June 2003, Command Chaplain, Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
- July 2003 - April 2004, Director, USAF Chaplain Service Institute, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
Awards and military decorations
Among Richardson's numerous military awards and decorations are:[1]
|
| ||
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
| 1st Row | Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster | Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Row | Legion of Merit | Defense Meritorious Service Medal | Meritorious Service Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters | Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster |
| 3rd Row | Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with oak leaf cluster | Air Force Good Conduct Medal |
| 4th Row | National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | Humanitarian Service Medal | Air Force Overseas Ribbon - Short with oak leaf cluster |
| 5th Row | Air Force Overseas Ribbon - Long | Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters | Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon | Air Force Training Ribbon with oak leaf cluster |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Chaplain (Major General) Cecil R. Richardson". Biographies. USAF. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
- ↑ USAF news, retrieved August 31, 2012
- ↑ Evangel University News- Graduate Promoted to Major General, Named Air Force Chief of Chaplains
- ↑ chaplaincy.ag.org, retrieved May 12, 2011.
- ↑ www.maxwell.af.mil, retrieved May 12, 2011.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles C. Baldwin |
Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force 2008 – 2012 |
Succeeded by Howard D. Stendahl |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, May 04, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.