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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

Dr. Richard M. Roberds retired from a U.S. Air Force career after 23 years of active duty and achieving the rank of Colonel. A Command Pilot with 4,000 hours in seven different USAF aircraft, he completed 183 combat missions over Vietnam and Cambodia. His medals include the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Meritorious Service Medal, eight Air Medals, and other lesser medals. He earned a Ph.D. degree from the Air Force Institute of Technology and subsequently served as the Air Force program manager for the particle-beam weapon technology-development program, an advanced weapon designated for the Strategic Defense Initiative. Following his USAF service, Dr. Roberds stayed active in aerospace. He served as the Dean of the University of Tennessee Space Institute, and he is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.