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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Ms. Lorraine Mc Cool

Lt Col Richard I. McCool is currently the squadron commander of the 88th Flying Training Squadron at Sheppard AFB, Texas. He is married to Lorraine Polanco-McCool and they have two daughters, Emily and Grace. Along with his Weapons Systems Officer, Lt Col Terry Phillips, as members of the 493rd Fighter Squadron during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, both were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism in aerial flight. The citation from General Charles Horner, commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces, stated that they attacked the heavily defended Iraqi Hammurabi Division. During the attack they received both heavy anti-aircraft artillery and Surface-to-Air missile fire. While under direct attack from a missile tracking their aircraft, they were able to simultaneously generate an aircraft-saving miss distance and still press a successful attack that resulted in direct hits with laser-guided bombs and the destruction of enemy tanks. They subsequently made two more successful attacks and expertly recovered their aircraft to a coalition air base in Saudi Arabia.