French, Richard, Lt Col

Deceased

Service Photo

Service Details

Last Rank
Lieutenant Colonel

Last Primary AFSC/MOS
1321Z-Pilot Reconnaissance

Last AFSC Group
Aircrew

Primary Unit
1949-1950, 1, Officer Candidate School (OCS)

Service Years
1946 - 1974

Official/Unofficial US Air Force Certificates

Cold War Certificate

Cuban Missile Crisis

Last Photo

Personal Details

Home State

Illinois

Year of Birth
1929

This Military Service Page was created/owned by the Site Administrator to remember French, Richard, Lt Col USAF(Ret).

Contact Info

Home Town Chicago	Last Address Loma Linda California

Date of Passing Nov 17, 2014
Location of Interment National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona - Phoenix, Arizona	Wall/Plot Coordinates Not Specified

Official Badges

Unofficial Badges

Military Association Memberships


	2014, American Legion, Post 47 (Assistant Commandant) (Livermore, California) - Chap. Page
	2014, The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor
	2014, Distinguished Flying Cross Society(DFCS) [Verified] - Assoc. Page
	2014, F-4 Phantom II Society
	2014, Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association
	2014, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), Dept of California (Deceased Member (Honor Roll)) (Sacramento, California) - Chap. Page

Additional Information

Last Known Activity
Not Specified

Other Comments:
Fighter Pilot F-4 Reconnaissance
Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cuban Missile Crisis

1961-1971, F-4G Wild Weasel

From Year 1961	To Year 1971

Personal Memories

Not Specified

Image	F-4G Wild Weasel Details
	Aircraft/Missile Information On 15 August 1990, 24 F-4G Wild Weasel Vs and six RF-4Cs were mobilized to the Middle East for Operation Desert Storm. The reason for this was that the F-4G was the only aircraft in the USAF inventory equipped for the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) role since the EF-111 Raven lacked the offensive capability of the AGM-88 HARM missile, while the RF-4C was the only aircraft equipped with the ultra-long-range KS-127 LOROP (long-range oblique photography) camera. In spite of flying almost daily missions, only one RF-4C was lost in a fatal accident before the start of hostilities. One F-4G was lost when enemy fire damaged the fuel tanks and the aircraft ran out of fuel near a friendly airbase. The last USAF Phantoms, F-4G Wild Weasel Vs from 561st Fighter Squadron, were retired on 26 March 1996. The last operational flight of the F-4G Wild Weasel was from the 190th Fighter Squadron, Idaho Air National Guard, in April 1996.[63] The last operational USAF/ANG F-4 to land was flown by Maj Mike Webb and Maj Gary Leeder, Idaho ANG