Quick Facts
Biography
Richard Bowman Myers (born March 1, 1942) is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force and served as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As Chairman, Myers was the highest ranking uniformed officer of the United States' military forces.
General Myers became the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs on October 1, 2001. In this capacity, he served as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council during the earliest stages of the War on Terror, including planning and execution of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. On September 30, 2005, he retired and was succeeded by General Peter Pace. His Air Force career included operational command and leadership positions in a variety of Air Force and Joint assignments.
He began serving as the interim President of Kansas State University in late April, 2016, and was announced as the permanent president on November 15, 2016.
Early life
Myers was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated from Shawnee Mission North High School in 1960. He graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. in mechanical engineering in 1965 where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He was commissioned by Detachment 270 of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at KSU. He graduated from Auburn University Montgomery with a M.B.A. in 1977. The General has attended the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama; the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania; and the Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
General Myers entered the Air Force in 1965 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He received pilot training from 1965 to 1966 at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Myers is a command pilot with more than 4,100 flying hours in the T-33 Shooting Star, C-37, C-21, F-4, F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon, including 600 combat hours in the F-4.
Commander and Chairman
Prior to becoming Chairman, he served as the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from March 2000 to September 2001. As Vice Chairman, General Myers served as the Chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, Vice Chairman of the Defense Acquisition Board, and as a member of the National Security Council Deputies Committee and the Nuclear Weapons Council. In addition, he acted for the Chairman in all aspects of the Planning, Programming and Budgeting System including participation in the Defense Resources Board.
From August 1998 to February 2000, General Myers was Commander in Chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command; Commander of the Air Force Space Command; and Department of Defense manager of the space transportation system contingency support at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. As commander, General Myers was responsible for defending America through space and intercontinental ballistic missile operations. 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 at 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 was the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) during the September 11th, 2001, terror attacks because CJCS Shelton was en route to Europe. However, at the time the Pentagon was attacked, he was on Capitol Hill and not in the Pentagon. He did leave Capitol Hill and spent the remainder of the day in the Pentagon. His office was not damaged during the attack. He officially took position as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) on October 1, 2001. he served as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council during the earliest stages of the War on Terror, including planning of the War in Afghanistan and planning and execution of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Awards and decorations
 | Command Pilot Badge |
 | Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge |
  | Defense Distinguished Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters |
 | Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster |
 | Army Distinguished Service Medal |
 | Navy Distinguished Service Medal |
 | Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal |
 | Legion of Merit |
 | Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster |
 | Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters |
  | Air Medal (19 awards in total) |
| Air Medal |
 | Air Force Commendation Medal |
 | Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster |
  | Outstanding Unit Award with Valor V and three oak leaf clusters |
 | Organizational Excellence Award with oak leaf cluster |
 | Presidential Medal of Freedom |
 | Combat Readiness Medal |
  | National Defense Service Medal with two bronze service stars |
 | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal |
 | Vietnam Service Medal with three campaign stars |
 | Humanitarian Service Medal |
 | Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon |
 | Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon with three oak leaf clusters |
 | Air Force Longevity Service Award (10 awards total) |
| Air Force Longevity Service Award |
 | Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon |
 | Air Force Training Ribbon |
 | Meritorious Service Cross (Canada) |
 | Légion d'honneur (France, degree of Commander) |
 | Commemorative Medal of the Minister of Defense of the Slovak Republic First Class |
 | Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) Singapore Distinguished Service Order (Military) |
 | Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit José MarÃa Córdova (Colombia) |
 | Commander of the Order of Military Merit (Canada) |
 | Estonian Order of the Cross of the Eagle First Class |
 | Order of the Paulownia Flowers, Grand Cordon |
 | Order of National Security Merit (South-Korea) Tong-il Medal |
 | Companion of the Order of Military Merit Antonio Nariño (Colombia) |
 | Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: Steaua României), Grand Officer |
 | Military Order of Italy, Grand Officer |
 | Order of the Sacred Treasure, Grand Cordon |
 | Order of the Balkan Mountains, without ribbon, 2nd Class (Bulgaria) |
 | Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) with palm |
 | Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation |
 | Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation |
 | Vietnam Campaign Medal |
Since 1999, General Myers is an Air Force Gray Eagle. He also received the Badge of the Commander of the Military Forces (Paraguay).
Retirement and Post-retirement
On 27 September 2005, only three days before leaving his post as Chairman, Myers said of the war in Iraq that, "the outcome and consequences of defeat are greater than World War II." His rise to and stint as Chairman are chronicled in Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward's book, State of Denial, as well as his own book Eyes on The Horizon. On September 30, 2005, he retired and was succeeded by General Peter Pace. His Air Force career included operational command and leadership positions in a variety of Air Force and Joint assignments.
On November 9, 2005, Myers received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His citation reads:
For four decades, General Richard Myers has served our Nation with honor and distinction. He flew some 600 combat hours in the Vietnam War. He later served as Commander in Chief of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Myers played a central role in our Nation's defense while devoting himself to the well-being of the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States Armed Forces. The United States honors General Richard Myers for his dedication to duty and country and for his contributions to the freedom and security of our Nation.
In 2006, General Myers accepted a part-time appointment as a Foundation Professor of Military History at Kansas State University. That same year, he was also elected to the Board of Directors of Northrop Grumman Corporation, the world’s third largest defense contractor. On 13 September 2006, he also joined the board of directors of United Technologies Corporation. He also serves on the boards of Aon Corporation, John Deere, the USO and holds the Colin L. Powell Chair for National Security, Leadership, Character and Ethics at the National Defense University. He also has advised the Defense Health Board and served on the Army War College Board of Visitors.
On July 26 2011, Myers was inducted into the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Distinguished Alumni in a ceremony at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, officiated by Lt. Gen. Allen G. Peck, Commander, Air University.
On April 14, 2016, Myers was selected as the Interim President of Kansas State University. He officially began on April 20, 2016.
He began serving as the interim President of Kansas State University in late April, 2016, and was announced as the permanent president on November 15, 2016.
Personal life
General Myers and his wife, the former Mary Jo Rupp, have three children: two daughters and a son.
His publications
- Myers, Richard B., and Malcolm McConnell. Eyes on the Horizon: Serving on the Front Lines of National Security. New York: Threshold, 2009. ISBN 9781416560128
Quotes
- "We train our people to obey the Geneva Conventions, it's not even a matter of whether it is reciprocated - it's a matter of who we are".
- Sands, Philippe (2008). Torture Team. London: Penguin Books. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-14-103132-3.