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His decorations include the Air Force Cross (our nation's second highest award) , 4 Silver Stars, 10 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 25 Air Medals. He has more than 4,000 hours of fighter time, including 800 combat hours in the F-4 Phantom during 339 missions. Originally from Reidsville, North Carolina, General Ritchie began his Air Force career as a cadet at the Air Force Academy in the class of 1964 and was a starting halfback for the Falcons in the 1963 Gator Bowl. In 1965, he graduated first in undergraduate pilot training at Laredo, Texas. He has flown the T-37, T-33, T-38, F-104, F-100, F-4, F-15, F-16, and was one of the youngest instructors ever at the Air Force "Top Gun" Fighter Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. General Ritchie left the active-duty Air Force in 1974 to run for the U. S. Congress, but continued to serve in the Air Force Reserves. He held important positions in the Colorado Air National Guard and Air Force Headquarters. General Ritchie has also utilized the educational and other opportunities he received in the Air Force to build a successful civilian career. He ran for the U. S. Congress from the state of North Carolina, and he has held various executive positions with civilian corporations. He was Director of the Office of Child Support Enforcement at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D. C. and currently is president of his own company. |
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