Capt. Richard "Steve" Ritchie is pictured beside his aircraft in South Vietnam in 1972, following the mission where he became the first Ace in the Vietnam War.
Steve Ritchie, then a captain, shot down his fifth MiG-21 on Aug. 28, 1972, making him the only U.S. Air Force pilot ace in the Vietnam War, but his most thrilling aerial dogfight took place nearly two months earlier, when he shot down two MiGs with three missiles in 1 minute, 29 seconds - not bad, considering a bone specialist told him as a highschooler he'd never play football nor anything else that strenuous.
Ritchie was born in June, 1942 in Reidsville, N.C., where he was a football and academic standout. He broke his leg twice, once during eighth grade and again during ninth grade, but despite being told he would never play again, continued to carry the ball, becoming a star quarterback for his high school team. Gaining admission to the U.S. Air Force Academy, he continued to play football. Beginning as a "walk-on" in 1960, he became a starting halfback for the Falcons in 1962 and 1963, finishing his football career with a final game in the 1963 Gator Bowl.
Ritchie graduated from the Academy with a bachelor of science degree in 1964. He entered pilot training at Laredo Air Force Base, Texas, and finished first in his class. His first operational assignment was with flight operations at Eglin AFB, Fla., where he flew the F-104 Starfighter. Two years later he transitioned into the F-4 Phantom II at Homestead AFB, Fla., in preparation for his first tour of duty in Southeast Asia.
Assigned to the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Danang Air Base, South Vietnam, in 1968, Ritchie flew the first "Fast FAC" mission in the F-4 forward air controller program. Returning from Southeast Asia in 1969, he was assigned to the Air Force Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev., where at 26 years of ago, he became one of the youngest instructors in the history of the school.
In 1972 he volunteered for a second tour in Southeast Asia and was assigned to the 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Udorn, Thailand. Flying an F-4D with the famous 555th ("Triple Nickel") Tactical Fighter Squadron, he became the only Air Force jet ace by downing a MiG-21 on May 10, another on May 31, two on July 8 and his last on Aug. 28. After completing 339 combat missions totaling more than 800 flying hours, Ritchie returned as one of the most highly decorated pilots of the war, having received the Air Force Cross, four Silver Stars, 10 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 25 Air Medals. His combat expertise brought him the 1972 "Mackay Trophy" for the most significant Air Force mission of the year (along with Capts. Jeff Feinstein and Charles DeBellevue), the Air Force Academy's 1972 Colonel James Jabara Award for Airmanship, and the 1972 Armed Forces Award, presented by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. In 1973 he was selected as one of the "Outstanding Young Men of America," and in 1974 he received the Eugene Zuckert Award from the Civil Air Patrol.
In 1974, Ritchie resigned his regular commission and ran for the U.S. Congress in North Carolina. He joined the Colorado Air National Guard and continued his military duty while pursuing a civilian career. 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.
Promoted to brigadier general in 1994, he became 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/AT-38 Talon. He retired in January 1999, after flying in his last air show at Randolph AFB, Texas.
He was officially retired by Air Force Chief of Staff Michael Ryan, whose father, Gen. John Ryan, was Air Force chief of staff 26 years earlier, when Ritchie became the Air Force's only Vietnam fighter ace.
