FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AFA SALUTES GENERAL RICHARD B. MYERS UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT

Contact: Ladd Everitt at (703) 247-5847 or leveritt@afa.org

Arlington, VA, September 27, 2005 – The Air Force Association (AFA) salutes General Richard B. Myers, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the occasion of his retirement, effective September 30, 2005.

“General Myers’ 40 years of outstanding service to his country speaks for itself,” said AFA Chairman of the Board Stephen P. (Pat) Condon. "He is an exceptional officer and well known for the absolute, bedrock integrity that guided him in every position he held. The nation was extremely fortunate to have him as our top uniformed officer during the critical post-9/11 period. We at the Air Force Association have had the honor of working with him on many occasions over the years and wish him and his wife, Mary Jo, a long and happy retirement.”

General Myers became the fifteenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in October 2001. In that capacity, he served as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council. He played a key role during his four years in the post, which coincided with military operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Prior to becoming Chairman, he served as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for 19 months.

Myers was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He was a 1965 graduate of Kansas State University, and received a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Auburn University. The general attended the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

He entered the Air Force in 1965 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. His career included operational command and leadership positions in a variety of Air Force and joint assignments. General Myers became a command pilot with more than 4,100 flying hours in the T-33, C-37, C-21, F-4, F-15 and F-16, including 600 combat hours in the F-4.

From August 1998 to February 2000, General Myers was Commander in Chief, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command; Commander, Air Force Space Command; and Department of Defense manager, space transportation system contingency support at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. Prior to assuming that position, he was Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, from July 1997 to July 1998. From July 1996 to July 1997 he served as Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon; and from November 1993 to June 1996 General Myers was Commander of U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force at Yokota Air Base, Japan.

He is the recipient of numerous military awards and decorations, including the Air Force Association’s Thomas D. White Award in 2000 and the H.H. Arnold Award in 2002. He also received AFA’s Nation’s Capital Chapter Distinguished Award for International Achievement in 2005, recognizing his “exceptional leadership in international affairs and in developing enhanced cooperative security measures that have dramatically contributed to world peace.”

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The Air Force Association (AFA) is an independent, nonprofit, civilian organization promoting public understanding of aerospace power and the pivotal role it plays in the security of the nation. AFA has more than 230 chapters nationwide and overseas, and more than 130,000 members. Visit us on the Internet at www.afa.org.