Brigadier General Richard M. Baughn is deputy defense attache of the Defense Attache Office in Saigon, Republic of Vietnam.
General Baughn was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1923, where he graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School. He has a bachelor of science degree from the University of Maryland, 1970. He entered the aviation cadet training program in January 1943 and received his pilot wings and commission as second lieutenant in April 1944.
He then was assigned as a fighter pilot with the VIII Fighter Command at Honington Royal Air Force Station, England. He completed a combat tour of duty as an F-51 pilot and flight commander. After World War II ended, he returned to the United States in March 1946 and was relieved from active military duty. He joined the Iowa Air National Guard and was a member of the 174th Fighter Squadron at Sioux City.
During the Korean War in April 1951 he was recalled to active duty with the 174th Squadron. In August 1951 he was transferred to Dow Air Force Base, Maine, where he was an F-84 pilot. He was assigned as a flight commander in the 77th Fighter Bomber Squadron of the 20th Fighter Bomber Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Va., in December 1951, and moved with the wing to Royal Air Force Station Wethersfield, England, in May 1952.
General Baughn was transferred in February 1954 to Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe at Wiesbaden, Germany, where he was on the Fighter Standardization Board. In November 1955 he joined the U.S. Air Force Academy at Lowry Air Force Base, Colo., as squadron operations officer. He was transferred in August 1956 to George Air Force Base, Calif., where he was operations officer of the 436th Tactical Fighter Squadron and later assumed command of the squadron. When the 479th Tactical Fighter Wing at George Air Force Base converted from F-100 to F-104 aircraft, General Baughn served as assistant director of operations. He attended the Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va., from January 1960 to July 1960.
He next served with Headquarters Tactical Air Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va., as project officer for the F-105 program and was checked out in the F-105 in January 1961 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. In January 1962 he went to Headquarters Pacific Air Forces at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and served as project officer for the F-105 program.
General Baughn was reassigned as chief of Tactical Evaluation for the Pacific Air Forces Standardization/Evaluation Group at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. Two years later, he assumed command of the 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Kadena Air Base and served on temporary duty assignments at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, where he flew combat missions over North Vietnam. He was named commander of the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Korat in June 1966. He completed 105 combat missions in Southeast Asia, 100 of these over North Vietnam.
In November 1966 General Baughn returned to the United States and was named deputy chief of staff, requirements and concepts, for the Tactical Fighter Weapons Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. In January 1969 he was assigned as a student at the United Kingdom Imperial Defence College in London, England. Later he was named deputy commander for operations of the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force Station Upper Heyford, England, and assumed command of the wing in June 1971. He was assigned as commander of the 45th Air Division, Strategic Air Command, at Pease Air Force Base, N.H., in February 1973.
In June 1974 General Baughn was appointed deputy defense attache, Defense Attache Office, Saigon, Republic of Vietnam.
His military decorations and awards include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal with 14 oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon with oak leaf cluster. He is a command pilot with more than 7,000 flying hours, including 5,000 in jet fighter aircraft. He has flown the F-51; F-47; F-80; F-84B, F, and G; F-86E and F; F-100; F-104; F-105; F-4, A-6; F-111; FB-111; KC-135; Meteor; Hawker Hunter and Lightning.
He was promoted to the grade of brigadier general effective Dec. 1, 1972, with date of rank Nov. 26, 1972.
(Current as of March 1, 1975)