Major
General Richard A. Platt is the Air National Guard assistant to the commander,
United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE). As the assistant, he serves as advisor
on Air National Guard forces trained to support USAFE after mobilization. He
assists the USAFE commander in development of plans for peacetime training
missions to enhance Air National Guard capability for wartime employment.
The general began his Air Force career in June 1971 when he received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Newark College of Engineering. After earning his wings in June 1972, he flew USAF F-4 fighter aircraft in Southeast Asia and Europe. The general is a command pilot with over 4,500 hours of flight time in fighter aircraft, including combat tours in Vietnam and Bosnia.
1970 Bachelor of science in civil engineering, Newark College of Engineering, Newark, N.J.
1977 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1979 Master of science degree in management, Troy State University, Troy, Ala.
1987 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
1990 National Security Management Course
1997 Capstone, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
1. June 1971 - June 1972, student, undergraduate pilot training, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
2. July 1972 - February 1973, student, F-4 upgrade training, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.
3. February 1973 - January 1974, F-4 pilot, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, Ubon Royal Thailand Air Force Base, Thailand
4. January 1974 - October 1977, F-4 fighter weapons instructor, 50th Tactical Fighter Wing, Hahn Air Base, Germany
5. October 1977 - January 1980, F-4 instructor, chief of wing weapons and tactics, 347th Tactical Fighter Wing, Moody Air
Force Base, Ga.
6. January 1980 - July 1980, inactive status, HQ ARPC, Denver, Colo.
7. July 1980 - November 1981, A-10 fighter weapons instructor, 104th Tactical Fighter Group, Barnes Air National Guard
Base , Mass.
8. November 1981 - July 1983, chief of safety, 104th Tactical Fighter Group, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.
9. July 1983 - November 1984, A-10 tactical fighter pilot, 131 Tactical Fighter Squadron, Barnes Air National Guard Base
Mass.
10. November 1984 - July 1987, training officer, 104th Tactical Fighter Group, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.
11. July 1987 - July 1989, operations officer, 131st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.
12. July 1989 - June 1990, commander, 131st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.
13. June 1990 - September 1990, commander, 104th Fighter Group, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.
14. September 1990 - October 1995, commander, 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.
15. October 1995 - March 2000, chief of staff, also serving as commander, Headquarters, Mass.
Air National Guard, Milford,
Mass.
16. April 2000 - May 2003, Air National Guard assistant to the commander Air Combat Command, Langley
Air Force Base, Va.
17. 1 June 2003 - present, Air National Guard assistant to the commander,
United States Air Forces Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Rating: Command pilot
Flight Hours: More than 4,500 military flight hours and 5,000 civilian flight hours
Aircraft flown: F-4 C/D/E, A/OA-10
Pilot wings from: Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with 14 devices and letter 'V' device
Combat Readiness Medal with 10 devices
Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with 1 device
Vietnam Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 'M' device
United Nations Medal
NATO Medal
Vietnam Gallantry Cross
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Second Lieutenant Jun 3, 1971
First Lieutenant Dec 3, 1972
Captain Jun 9, 1978
Major Jan 15, 1983
Lieutenant Colonel Jun 12, 1987
Colonel Jun 29, 1990
Brigadier General Sep 25, 1996
Major General Mar 2, 1998
(Current as of June 2003)
The date of publication indicated on this biography reflects the most recent update. It does not necessarily reflect the date of printing.