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Senior Master Sergeant David W. Richards is currently the Manager of the Air Force Aerial Photography (AP) Program and Chief, Stan/Eval, 3N Flying Operations for the Air Force Public Affairs Agency. He provides overall guidance and oversight of over 80 Aerial Photographers located all over the world to ensure Airmen to capture the Air Force¿s story from both the air and ground.
Sergeant Richards attended and graduated from Brunswick High School in Brunswick, Ohio in 1982. During this time, he was very active in the cadet program of the Civil Air Patrol.
After graduating from High School, Sergeant Richards attended Ohio State University before entering the Air Force. Upon completion of Basic Military Training School he attended the Law Enforcement Specialist Course and the Patrol Dog Handlers Course. In a 10-year period, Sergeant Richards was assigned to three different bases while utilizing explosive detection and narcotic detection Military Working Dogs (MWD). He provided extensive explosive detection and personal security support for three Presidents as well as for the leaders of over twenty nations. On several occasions, he cleared the path for potential explosive devices on the crawlerway that the Space Shuttle takes to the pad.
He deployed in support of Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM, providing personal security to the President of Egypt among other force-protection duties. He has showcased the capabilities of his Military Working Dog with demos for more than one million spectators.
After almost two years of testing, campaigning and waiting, Sergeant Richards was awarded the opportunity to cross-train as a Still Photographer Specialist and was assigned to the 90th Communications Squadron. During the year that he was assigned there, Sergeant Richards made a name for himself as one of the premiere photographers in Space Command.
His dedication and hard work was rewarded when Sergeant Richards was selected to attend the Advanced Photojournalism Course at the Rochester Institute of Technology (R.I.T.). He graduated first in his class and was on the dean¿s list all three-quarters.
Sergeant Richards next assignment was with the 1st Combat Camera Squadron. During this time, he was one of the most deployed members. He has documented several exercises and real world contingencies, some of the most notable include the relocation of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH to Al Kharj AB, Saudi Arabia, the A-10 Recovery Operation in Eagle, Colorado and operations in support of Operation JOINT ENDEAVOR/JOINT GUARD as an aerial photographer assigned at Ramstein AB, Germany and a second tour as the photojournalist directly assigned to the Commander, Stabilization Force in Sarajevo. He was honored in 1997 as the Darryl G. Winters award recipient as the best Combat Photographer in the Air Force, the highest award given in the visual information career field. He has over 3,000 flying hours in more than 47 aircraft and a total of 62 combat missions over Iraq and the former Yugoslavia.
Sergeant Richards was next selected as the National Advertising Photojournalist for the U.S. Air Force and won the nation's top advertising honors taking home a Golden Award at the ADDY Awards.
Sergeant Richards was next selected as the Superintendent, Operations Briefing Branch for the Deputy Director of Regional Operations, Joint Staff (J-3), Pentagon, Washington D.C. He provided the President, State Department, Congress, Secretary of Defense (SecDef), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), Director for Operations (DJ3) near real-time highly sensitive operational content on a daily basis.
Sergeant Richards is married has three children.
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