Richard Stephen Ritchie Brigadier General Richard Stephen " Steve " Ritchie ( born June 25 , 1942 in Reidsville , North Carolina ) was an officer in the United States Air Force and the Colorado Air National Guard , and a general officer in the Air Force Reserve . Ritchie joined Navy Commander Randy Cunningham as the only pilots among the five American aces during the Vietnam War . Ritchie is a recipient of the Air Force Cross , the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force . Background . Ritchie was born in Reidsville , North Carolina , the son of an American Tobacco Company executive . He was a star quarterback for Reidsville High School , despite breaking his leg twice . In 1964 , he graduated from the United States Air Force Academy , where , as a " walk - on " , he became the starting halfback for the Falcons varsity football team in 1962 and 1963 . Ritchie was described by his peers as being a jock , and by General Robin Olds , who admired him greatly , as being " brilliant " but thinking himself " God ' s gift " ( cocky and egotistical ) . According to one of the intelligence officers of the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron , Ritchie was often lacking in self - discipline , with a personal trademark of using too much Old Spice cologne . ( Ritchie ' s retort was that the pilots ' locker room was too odoriferous . ) Professionally , Ritchie was a gifted and dedicated flyer who constantly maintained his skills by flying every two or three days . With consistently high performance evaluations , high scores in pilot training courses , and achieving a thorough understanding of the weapons systems he used , he earned opportunities to place himself in the forefront of USAF fighter pilots , where he became known for his " intelligent aggression " . Vietnam . Ritchie entered pilot training at Laredo Air Force Base , Texas , and finished first in his class . His first operational assignment was with Flight Test Operations at Eglin Air Force Base , Florida , where he flew the F - 104 Starfighter . Two years later he transitioned into the F - 4 Phantom II at Homestead Air Force Base , Florida , in preparation for his first tour in Southeast Asia . Assigned to the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron , 366th Tactical Fighter Wing at Da Nang Air Base , South Vietnam in 1968 , Ritchie flew the first " Fast FAC " mission in the F - 4 forward air controller program and was instrumental in the spread and success of the program . He completed 195 combat missions . In 1969 , he was selected to attend the Fighter Weapons Course at Nellis Air Force Base , Nevada , becoming , up to that point , the Air Force Fighter Weapons School ' s youngest - ever instructor at age 26 . He taught air - to - air tactics from 1970 to 1972 to the best USAF pilots , including Major Robert Lodge , who later became his flight leader in Thailand and himself shot down three MiGs . Ritchie volunteered for a second combat tour in 1972 and was assigned to the 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base , Thailand . Flying F - 4 Phantom II s with the famed 555th ( " Triple Nickel " ) Tactical Fighter Squadron he shot down his first Mikoyan - Gurevich MiG - 21 on 10 May 1972 , scored a second victory on May 31 , a third and fourth on July 8 , and a fifth on August 28 . All of the aircraft he shot down were MiG - 21s , and all were shot down by the much - maligned AIM - 7 Sparrow radar - guided air - to - air missile . Ritchie became the United States Air Force ' s first and only pilot ace of the Vietnam War . An advantage that the Triple Nickel pilots had over other US aircrews was that eight of their F - 4D Phantoms had the top secret APX - 80 electronic set installed , known by its code - name Combat Tree . Combat Tree could read the IFF signals of the transponders built into the MiGs so that North Vietnamese GCI radar could discriminate its aircraft from that of the Americans . Displayed on a scope in the WSO ' s cockpit , Combat Tree gave the Phantoms the ability to identify and locate MiGs when they were still beyond visual range . May 1972 , kills 1 and 2 . Ritchie ' s assignment on May 10 , the first major day of air combat in Operation Linebacker , was as element leader ( Oyster 3 ) of one of two flights of the F - 4D MiGCap for the morning strike force . Oyster flight had three of its Phantoms equipped with Combat Tree IFF interrogators , and two days previously its flight lead , Major Robert Lodge , and his WSO Capt . Roger Locher had scored their third MiG kill to lead all USAF crews then flying in Southeast Asia . At 0942 , forewarned 19 minutes earlier by the EC - 121 " Disco " over Laos and then by " Red Crown " , the US Navy radar picket ship , the guided missile cruiser USS " Chicago " , Oyster flight engaged an equal number of MiG - 21s headon , scattering them . Oyster flight shot down three and nearly got the fourth , but fell victim to a MiG tactic dubbed " Kuban tactics " after those of the Soviet WWII ace Pokryshkin , in which a GCI - controlled flight of MiG - 19 s trailed so that they could be steered behind the American fighters maneuvering to attack the MiG - 21s . Maj . Lodge was shot down and killed , despite clumsy flying by the MiG - 19 ' s . ( He might have been able to eject , but had previously told his flightmates that he would not be captured because of his extensive knowledge of classified and sensitive information . ) Almost simultaneously Ritchie and Capt Chuck DeBellevue , his WSO , rolled into a firing position behind the remaining MiG - 21 of the original 4 with a radar lock , launched two Sparrows and scored a kill with the second . On May 31 , Ritchie ' s second kill involved a tactical ruse in which the MiGCAP flights used the radio call signs of another wing ' s chaff - deploying flights on a mission northeast of Hanoi . The fighters crossed into North Vietnam from over the Gulf of Tonkin north of Haiphong , and were warned by Red Crown of MiG - 21s 40 miles southwest of their position and headed towards them . Red Crown continued to call warnings , and when the MiGs were within 15 miles and to their rear , Ritchie began a descending turn towards them . He observed them above him to his left front and continued his left turn until he was behind and below the trailing MiG . His WSO , Capt . Lawrence Pettit , acquired a " full - system lock - on " and Ritchie ripple - fired all 4 AIM - 7s the aircraft was carrying . The first went out of control to the right , the next two detonated early , but the last one struck the MiG in the cockpit and split its fuselage in two . July 1972 , kills 3 and 4 . USAF strike and chaff forces suffered a severe series of losses to MiGs between June 24 and July 5 ( 7 F - 4s ) without killing a MiG in return . As a counter - measure , Seventh Air Force added a second Disco EC - 121 to its airborne radar coverage , positioning it over the Gulf of Tonkin . On July 8 Ritchie and DeBellevue were leading Paula flight , in gun - equipped F - 4Es instead of the Combat Tree F - 4Ds they usually flew , on a MiGCAP to cover the exit of the strike force . While they were west of Phu Tho and south of Yen Bai , the EC - 121 vectored them to intercept MiG - 21s returning to base after damaging one of the US chaff escorts . The MiGs were still aprproximately 4 miles away and Ritchie turned the flight south to cross the Black River . As they closed , Disco gave them warning that the MiG return had " merged " with the Paula flight ' s return on his screen . Ritchie reversed course , observed the first MiG at his 10 o ' clock position and turned left to meet it headon . When Ritchie passed the first MiG - 21 , he recalled the engagement of May 10 and waited to see if there was a trailing MiG . When he observed the second MiG , which he also passed headon , he reversed hard left to engage . The Mig turned to its right to evade the attack , an unusual maneuver , and Ritchie used a vertical separation move to gain position on its rear quarter . DeBellevue obtained a solid boresight ( dogfighting ) radar lock on it while at the MiG ' s 5 o ' clock ; although fired from the edge of their flight envelope s , both AIM - 7s struck home . The first MiG had also turned back and was attacking the last F - 4 in Ritchie ' s flight from behind , an often fatal consequence to US aircraft employing the then - standard " fluid four " tactical formation . Ritchie made a hard turn across the curving intercept of the MiG , again coming out at its 5 o ' clock , and the MiG , apparently perceiving the threat , broke hard right and dove away . Ritchie fired an AIM - 7 from inside its minimum range and at the limit of its capability to turn . Expecting the Sparrow to miss , he was trying to switch to a gun attack in the relatively unfamiliar F - 4E he was flying that day when the missile exploded the MiG , 1 minute and 29 seconds after the first kill . A competition to become the Air Force ' s first Vietnam ace developed between Ritchie and Capt . Jeffrey S . Feinstein of another of the 432nd ' s squadrons , the 13th TFS , who scored his 3rd and 4th kills on July 18 and July 29 . Each had a claim denied by Seventh Air Force ' s Enemy Aircraft Claims Evaluation Board , Ritchie and Debellevue for a claim of a MiG - 21 on June 13 , and Feinstein for a claim June 9 . Fifth kill . Ritchie ' s final victory came August 28 , 1972 , while leading Buick flight , a MiGCAP for a strike north of Hanoi . During the preceding month Seventh Air Force had instituted daily centralized mission debriefings of leaders and planners from all fighter wings called " Linebacker Conferences . " Ritchie had just started his flight of Combat Tree Phantoms on its return to base ( Ritchie was flying the F - 4D , AF Ser . No . 66 - 7463 , in which he had scored his first kill ) . Red Crown , now the nuclear - powered guided missile cruiser USS " Long Beach " , alerted the strike force to " Blue Bandits " ( MiG - 21s ) 30 miles southwest of Hanoi , along the route back to Thailand . Approaching the area of the reported contact at 15 , 000 feet , Ritchie recalled recent Linebacker Conference information that MiGs had returned to using high altitude tactics and suspected the MiGs were high . Buick and Vega flights , both of the MiGCAP , flew toward the reported location . DeBellevue picked up the MiGs on the Phantom ' s onboard radar and using Combat Tree , discovered that the MiGs were ten miles behind Olds flight , another flight of MiGCAP fighters returning to base . Ritchie called in the contact to warn Olds flight . Ritchie , concerned that MiGs might be at an altitude above them , made continuous requests for altitude readings to both Disco and Red Crown . He received location , heading , and speed data on the MiGs ( now determined to be returning north at high speed to their base ) but not altitude as Buick flight closed to within 15 miles of the MiGs . DeBellevue ' s radar then painted the MiGs dead ahead at 25 , 000 feet , and Ritchie ordered the flight to light afterburners . DeBellevue warned Ritchie they were closing fast and were in range . About the same time Ritchie saw the MiGs himself headed in the opposite direction . Attacking in a climbing curve behind the MiG - 21 ' s with his AIM - 7 guidance radar locked on , Ritchie was given continuous range updates by DeBellevue . With his Phantom barely making enough speed to overtake the targets , Ritchie launched two Sparrows from over four miles away . The firing parameters of the two shots were out of the missiles ' performance envelope , an attempt to influence the MiGs to turn and thus shorten the range . Both shots not only missed but failed to influence the opponents . Moments later , tracking one MiG visually by the contrail it was making , Ritchie fired his remaining two Sparrows , also at long range . The first missed , but the MiG made a hard turn and actually shortened the range , and was destroyed by the second . Short on fuel , Ritchie elected not to try to pursue the second MiG - 21 . Ritchie commented : " My fifth MiG kill was an exact duplicate of a syllabus mission ( at Fighter Weapons School ) , so I had not only flown that as a student , but had " taught " it probably a dozen times prior to actually doing it in combat . " Post - Vietnam War . After completing 339 combat missions totaling over 800 flying hours , Ritchie returned from his second combat tour as one of the most highly decorated pilots in the Vietnam War . His combat achievements earned him the 1972 Mackay Trophy for the most significant Air Force mission of the Year , the Air Force Academy ' s 1972 Jabara Award for airmanship , and the 1972 Armed Forces Award , presented by the Veterans of Foreign Wars for outstanding contributions to the national security of the United States . He retired from the Air Force in 1999 . Ritchie wrote in a " Wall Street Journal " editorial that : " The first time I ever saw an unlike airplane was a MiG - 21 near Hanoi . In those days , we weren ' t allowed to train against dissimilar aircraft . They wouldn ' t let us train the way we were going to fight . Sometimes , I wasn ' t even allowed to fire back if fired upon . A political conservative , Ritchie opted to leave active duty following Vietnam , joining the Air National Guard and running for Congress from North Carolina at the urging of U . S . Senator Barry Goldwater . However , he lost in the wake of the Watergate Scandal , during which time Republican party newcomers were challenged to get elected . He held various executive positions in private life , including six years at the Adolph Coors Company ( now Coors Brewing Company ) and the Heritage Foundation , where he was special assistant to Joseph Coors . He joined the Colorado Air National Guard and continued his military duty in a flying status while pursuing his civilian career , later transferring to the Air Force Reserve . In 1985 he was appointed director of the Office of Child Support Enforcement , reporting to the Secretary of Health and Human Services . In 1987 he was assigned to the Mobilization Policy and Plans Directorate at the Office of the Secretary of Defense . He may have been the basis for the uncasted character of Col Steve Ritchie in the " Star Trek : The Next Generation " episode entitled " The Royale " . Promoted to brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve in 1994 , he became the mobilization assistant to the commander of Air Force Recruiting Service . For six years , he traveled across the United States , speaking to approximately 1 , 100 audiences in support of Air Force recruiting efforts . He also flew more than 100 air show performances in the T - 38 Talon . He retired in January 1999 , after flying in his last air show at Randolph Air Force Base , Texas . He lives in Colorado Springs , Colorado , working as a motivational speaker , and periodically flies demilitarized civilian F - 104 Starfighter s on the American air show circuit for " Starfighters International " based in Florida . Awards and decorations . Command pilot Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal