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Today in History – April 11, 1955 – Contract to build XF-108 is issued.

April 11, 2021

North American Aviation is issued a preliminary contract to build prototypes of the XF-108 long-range interceptor aircraft for the USAF. “The North American XF-108 Rapier …

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Today in History – April 11, 1955 – Contract to build XF-108 is issued.

April 11, 2021

North American Aviation is issued a preliminary contract to build prototypes of the XF-108 long-range interceptor aircraft for the USAF. “The North American XF-108 Rapier …

Read More →

Baughn, Richard M.

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Richard M. Baughn

Preferred Name: Dick
Date of Birth: September 26, 1923
Highest Military Grade Held: 0-7 – Brigadier General
Hometown: Council Bluffs, IA
Biography
Pilot Information
Album
Biography

Brigadier General Richard M. Baughn entered the Army Air Force aviation cadet training program in January 1943 and received his pilot wings and commission as a second lieutenant in April 1944.

Baughn was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1923, graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School and received a BS from the University of Maryland. His military schools include the USAF Air Tactical School, the Armed Forces Staff College and Great Britain’s senior military school, The Imperial Defence College.

He is a command pilot with more than 7,600 flying hours, including more than 5,000 in jet fighter aircraft. General Baughn has flown the P-40; P-51; P-47; F-80; RF-80; T-33;  F-84B, F, and G; F-86E,F and H; F-100C,D and F; F-104A, C and D; F-105D and F; F-4C,D and E; A-6;  F-111A and E; FB-111; KC-135; Meteor; Hawker Hunter, Lightning and 14 other types of military aircraft.

He flew combat in P-51’s with the 8th AF during WWII and in 1965-66 he flew three temporary F-105 combat tours, one at Tahkli and two at Korat, Thailand, before completing a full F-105 combat tour in 1966, as the commander of the 13th TFS.  In addition to a full complement of F-105 fighters, the 13th TFS was also assigned all of Korat’s F-100 and F-105 Wild Weasels and about half of Baughn’s missions were flown with them.

In June 1974 General Baughn was appointed deputy defense attaché, Defense Attaché Office, Saigon, Republic of Vietnam, his last assignment prior to his retirement.  His decorations include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, Bronze Star Medal, 15 Air Medals and two Air Force Commendation Medals.

Brigadier General Dick Baughn retired from the US Air Force in July 1975.

His book “The Hellish Vortex: Between Breakfast and Dinner,” a carefully researched historical novel about a WWII P-51 pilot in the 8th AF, won a 2008 Eric Hoffer Notable Award for fiction and a 2008 honorable mention award for fiction from The Writer’s Digest.  The Hellish Vortex is available at Amazon.com in both paperback and electronically in Kindle.

Pilot Information

Units Assigned

  • 1944-1946  VIII Fighter Command at Honington Royal Air Force Station, England (F-51)
  • 1946-8/1951 174th Fighter Squadron, Iowa Air National Guard, Sioux City, IO
  • 8/1951-12/1951 Dow AFB, ME (F-84)
  • 12/1951- 5/1952 277th Fighter Bomber Squadron/20th Fighter Bomber Wing, Langley AFB, VA
  • 5/1952-2/1954  277th Fighter Bomber Squadron/20th Fighter Bomber Wing Royal Air Force Station Wethersfield, England
  • 2/1954-11/1955 Headquarters USAF, Wiesbaden, Germany
  • 11/1955-8/1956 USAF Academy, squadron operations officer, Lowry AFB, CO
  • 8/1956-1958 479 Fighter Day Wing/436Fighter Day Squadron, Edwards AFB, CA (F-104 A/B)
  • 1958-1960 479th Wing, George AFB, CA (F-100, F-104C)
  • 1/1960-7/1960 Armed Force Staff College, Norfork, VA
  • 7/1960-1/1961 Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, VA (F-105)
  • 1/1961-1/1962  Project Officer F-104, Nellis AFB, NV (F-104)
  • 1/1962-1963 Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, HI
  • 1963-6/1966 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa
  • 6/1966-11/1966 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand
  • 11/1966-1/1969 Deputy Chief of Staff, Requirements and Concepts, Tactical  Fighter Weapons Center, Nellis AFB, NV
  • 1/1969-1971 United Kingdom Imperial Defence College, London, England
  • 1970-1971 20th Fighter Bomber Wing/77th Fighter Bomber Squadron, Nellis, AFB
  • 1971-2/1973 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Station, Upper Heyford, England
  • 2/1973-6/1974 45th Air Division Strategic Command, Pease AFB, NH
  • 1975 Retired USAF

Awards & Decorations

Silver Star

Legion of Merit

Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters

Air Medal with 13 Oak Leaf Clusters – 2 Silver/2 Bronze

Air Force Commendation Medal

Army of Occupation Medal

European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal

Korean Service Medal

National Defense Service Medal

United Nations Service Medal

World War II Victory Medal

Order of the Sword Recipient

Flight Info

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
Command pilot with 7,000+ hours, 5,000 in jet aircraft

Military & Civilian Education

Military Education

  • USAF Air Tactical School
    1960 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA
    1969-1971 The Imperial Defence College, Great Britain

Civilian Education

  • Abraham Lincoln HS
    1970 BS, University of Maryland

Album

Baughn, Richard
Album Slideshow
Slideshow
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