Richard was an Aviation Boatswains Mate 1st Class, and his job was to assist the catapult crews in the launch and recovery of aircraft such as F-14 Tomcats, F-18 Hornets, S-3 Vikings, EA-6B Prowlers, E-2C Hawk Eyes and C-2 Greyhounds on and off the flight decks of numerous aircraft carriers. He has served aboard the Aircraft Carriers: USS Independence, USS Kitty Hawk, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS George Washington, USS Theodore Roosevelt, and the USS Carl Vinson. He has been stationed at Naval Station Yokosuka Japan, NAS Lemoore, CA, Naval Station Norfolk, VA, and Naval Shipyard Newport News VA. He completed 7 tours in the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea conducting flight operations in support of securing the No-Fly Zone in Iraq and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Richard Medically retired from the Navy in 2009.

Richard currently resides in Sherman. He was employed with Sunny Delight Beverages from 2009 to 2011. In 2011. He left Sunny Delight to begin his career at ALPLA Inc. Richard has been the Plant Manager for a plastic bottle producer, ALPLA, for the past 9 years. He also has been the VFW Post 2772 Quartermaster for the past 4 years.