Maj. General Richard S. “Beef” Haddad retired in 2016 as Vice Commander, Air Force Reserve Command. He directed the daily operations of the command, with 70,000 Citizen Airmen and more than 300 aircraft among three numbered air forces, 33 flying wings, 10 flying groups and one space wing. He also served as Deputy Chief of the Air Force Reserve in the Pentagon.
General Haddad is a veteran special operations pilot with hundreds of hours of combat flying in the AC130 Spectre Gunship and the MC130 Combat Talon during Operations Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. His aerial combat awards include three Distinguished Flying Crosses with “V for Valor” device, and five Air Medals. He has deployed to combat zones eight times during his career.
Following September 11th, General Haddad commanded the 711th Special Operations Squadron through operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, during which the unit compiled more than 5,000 combat hours of accident-free flying and is still recognized as the most combat-decorated Reserve flying unit.
General Haddad was commissioned through the Air Force Academy in 1981. He served in a variety of flying and command positions in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve. General Haddad was the first Air Force general officer nominated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to serve as Commander, Special Operations Command Korea.
In his civilian job, he is an American Airlines pilot. He is married to Ginger, a retired Air Force Colonel and Judge Advocate. They have two daughters, Alexandra, an attorney, and Victoria, a Physician.