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 Richard A. Dutton, Colonel, U.S.A.F.
(Retired), 69, died on Sunday, Dec. 12, 1999 in a local hospital. He was born
April 24, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois to Geraldine and Ralph A. Dutton.
He is survived by his wife, Jean Dutton; son and
daughter-in-law, Russell and Barbara Dutton, and their daughters, Abbey and
Sarah, of Hanau, Germany; daughter and son-in-law, Diana and Michael Yares, of
Phoenix, AZ; and his aunt, Grace Morse, residing at SunPointe / Westwood Senior
Living Facility.
Colonel Dutton retired from the United States Air Force in
1981 after serving his country for more than 30 years. During that time he
received numerous awards.
He was a fighter pilot who flew F-86s, F-100s, and
F-105s. In 1967, he was shot down over North Vietnam where he was taken as a
prisoner of war and was held there until his release in March 1973. After
spending a year at the National War College at Ft. McNair, Washington, D.C., he
was assigned to Hurlburt Field in 1974, where he served as Deputy Commander for
Maintenance and later as Commandant of the United States Special Operations
School.
He was a member of several organizations including
Daedalians, Am Vets, Sons of the American Revolution, and the Air Commando Association.
He served as a board member and treasurer of the Special Operations Warrior
Foundation.
He was also a dedicated fisherman, and was an active member of the
Fort Walton Beach Sailfish Club, where he served as treasurer for many years. He
was recently awarded the International Game Fish Association Elwood K. Harry
Fellowship Award by the Sailfish Club in recognition of his commitment to
fishing. Other interests included genealogy.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The
Special Operations Warrior Foundation, P.O. Box 14385, Tampa, FL 33690 or to the
charity of your choice. |
