Lt Col Richard G. Vaught, USAF (Retired) passed away on November 8, 2025. He was born in Long Beach, California and was predeceased by his parents, Dude and Hazel Vaught of Memphis, TN. He is survived by his wife, Patricia (Patty) Jones Vaught of Windsor, Virginia.

Richard is also survived by his brother in law and wife, Will Jones and Amy Hughes of Zuni, Virginia; nieces and nephew, Ethan, Ava, Chelsea (John), and Whitlee; great nephew, Parker; his sister, Nola V. Gregory of Mississippi; numerous close cousins; and life-long Air Force friends around the world. He was also predeceased by his late father in law and mother in law, Buck and Carolyn Jones, formerly of Windsor, Virginia.

Richard was a 1968 graduate of Christian Brothers High School, Memphis, TN where he was an All-State football player for their undefeated teams for three years and a standout in track and field in the shotput and discus. He went to Vanderbilt University where he was the captain of their undefeated freshman team, but left when his father was in a car wreck and unconscious for over a year. Two years later, he moved to Michigan where he went back to school and worked for General Motors at their GMC Truck & Coach Division. He was a graduate of Oakland University with honors in 1974 with a Bachelors in History and Clinical Psychology and Bachelors in Anthropology in 1975. He was chosen to attend General Motors elite College of Manufacturing Management, which he graduated from in 1977. Then he became a foreman and later acting general foreman for Pontiac Motor in car assembly until 1980. While employed by General Motors, he was awarded three patents in 1978 and 1979.

He joined the US Air Force in November of 1980, and was commissioned February 27, 1981 at Lackland Air Base, San Antonio, Texas. His first assignment was for three years at the 375 Transportation Squadron at Scott AFB, IL where he held numerous transportation positions and obtained his Masters Degree in Business from Webster University. He was then assigned to Incirlik AB, Turkey in 1984 as the Traffic Management Officer and Chief US Military Customs officer for Turkey and was picked as the Traffic Management Officer of the Year for the United States Air Forces in Europe (1985). In 1986 he was assigned to the 322nd Airlift Division at Ramstein AB, Germany as the Chief of Cargo Requirements and Officer in Charge of the Aerial Port Control Center where he controlled all the airlift from the northern tip of Norway to the tip South Africa to 14 degrees west of the UK and to the east to New Delhi, India. While in Germany, he was heavily involved with the CIA for Operation CYCLONE where they assisted the "freedom fighters" against Russian troops from 1986 - 1988. In 1989 he was assigned to HQ Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB, IL as the primary war planner worldwide. There he implemented the airlift of all troops into Panama during Operation JUST CAUSE in December 1989, then built the air bridge that moved 549,000 troops with 542,000 tons of cargo on 18,419 missions for Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM from August 1990 till July 1991, the largest movement of troops in US history that was three times the size of the WWII invasion of Normandy. He oversaw the evacuation of Subic Bay, Philippines in 1991 after the volcano eruption.

He met his Love of his Life, Patty, in Madrid, Spain and after a whirlwind romance, they married in June 1992 and went to Ramstein Air Base, Germany for three years of adventures and to travel throughout the world. In July 1992, he was the Executive Officer for the 628th Air Mobility Support Group supporting all Air Mobility Command squadrons, detachments and Operating Locations throughout Europe, Africa and SW Asia, while Patty was assigned to the base's Civil Engineering squadron. The next year he was promoted to be the Operations officer for the largest aerial port (608th Aerial Port Squadron) in the overseas areas while Patty was promoted to work at HQ USAFE in Civil Engineering, and they traveled all throughout Europe and Africa. During his three years there, he supported Operations SOUTHERN/NORTHERN WATCH (the no-fly zones over Iraq) and SUPPORT HOPE (Rwanda humanitarian relief), and his aerial port was chosen as the best in the Air Mobility Command for the handling of hazardous cargo, and Foreign Object program three years running. In 1995, he was chosen to be the Commander of Southwest Asia (SWA) for the Air Mobility Command, headquartered in Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with squadrons, detachments and Operating Locations in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. While he was the commander, Patty was assigned to the US Mission to Saudi Arabia as their engineer. He and Patty traveled extensively throughout SWA while there and hunted in Africa numerous times. When the terrorists hit Khobar Towers 25 June 1996 at Dhahran, he obtained 19 caskets for the airmen killed from Bahrain, reinforced security around the base, turned his air freight terminal into a mortuary, picked up body parts, held a memorial service the next night for those killed, launched a C-5 aircraft to carry the remains back to the US, and then briefed the Director of the FBI two days later on the terrorists. Then 4 months later, his mobility forces moved the entire 4404th Combat Wing 450 miles south to a secure location while keeping the wing fully operational; a feat never done before or since. For these accomplishments and others, he was picked as the Field Grade Officer of the Year for the 628 AMSG becoming the only officer in the Air Force to have been officer of the year as a company grade officer and field grade officer, and his units were awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with V for Valor. After this, he was assigned as the Director of Transportation worldwide for the Military Postal Service Agency at Arlington, Virginia running all the mail worldwide for Departments of Defense and State for two years. After pinning on Lt Colonel in 1998, he was reassigned to Ramstein AB, Germany in March 1999 again as the primary war planner for the United States Air Forces in Europe. There he implemented the war plans for Operation ALLIED FORCES in which the USAF took apart the former nation of Yugoslavia. After that, he did the war plans and implementation for Operation KOSOVO TASK FORCE that moved the US Army and other allies into the Balkan region; then later launched aircraft to pick up the 19 sailors killed in the terrorists' attack against the USS Cole in Oct 2020 ; then was tasked to head the group to work on Y2K to ensure no disruptions to any communications in the Europe/Africa/SWA Asia regions. He then developed the USAF plans for the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan after 9/11.

In Dec 2002 he went to HQ NATO Brussels Belgium with the US Mission to be with his wife as she had been promoted to be the US Representative to the NATO Infrastructure Committee. He was the Executive Officer for the US Mission to NATO for a year, then the last three years on active duty he was the Executive Officer for the International Military Staff's Cooperation, Regional and Security Division where he dealt with over 60 nations to include Russia, China, Ukraine, etc. While there, he oversaw all the logistics/customs/security/etc. for the first ever formal meeting of the NATO generals with the Russian High Command in Moscow in 2004 and then the same type of meeting with the Ukraine High Command in Kiev. He retired 30 Nov 2005 after 25 honorable years of service and to follow his wife and her career. He and Patty once again returned to HQ NATO in Brussels Belgium from 2013 – 2019 where she was the U.S. Representative to the NATO Senior Resources Board.

In his retirement, he was a noted international big game hunter having done 32 hunting safaris throughout Zimbabwe, Namibia, and South Africa during his 25 years in the USAF and especially in his retirement. Upon Patty's retirement in December 2019, they traveled extensively. As he told Patty when they married, it would never be boring, and it never was for those two. He authored two books while in retirement and was heavily involved in the Republican Party.

He was a Lifetime member of the Air Force Association, National Defense Transportation Association, National Rifle Association, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, International Professional Hunters Association, longtime Republican operant, and a graduate of Squadron Officers School, Air Command and Staff College, Air War College, NATO Staff Officer School, US Customs School, Basic Transportation School, Hazardous Cargo Certification, Advance Air Transportation School, Contingency Operations school, etc. Among his awards and decorations were the Defense Meritorious Service Medal w/1 Oak Leaf Cluster; Meritorious Service Medal w/4 Oak Leaf Cluster; Joint Service Commendation Medal; USAF Commendation medal w/1 Oak Leaf Cluster; USAF Achievement Medal; Joint Meritorious Service Unit Award; USAF Outstanding Unit Award w/V for Valor and 6 Oak Leaf Clusters; Organizational Excellence Award w/3 Oak Leaf Clusters; National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; Southwest Asia Service Medal with Bronze Star; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Humanitarian Service Medal; Air & Space Campaign Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster; Overseas Ribbon Short Tour w/1 Oak Leaf Cluster; Overseas Ribbon Long Tour w/3 Oak Leaf Clusters; Longevity Service Award Ribbon w/1 Silver Oak Leaf Cluster and 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster; Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon; and Air Force Training Ribbon.

A memorial service and private inurnment will be held at 3:00 pm, Monday, December 8, 2025 at Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery, Suffolk, Virginia, with full military honors. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to a charity of one's choice or for the purchase of Richard's lifelong favorite drink: Single Malt Scotch Whiskey. Waidmannsheil! Post condolences on parrfuneralhome.com.