GEN Richard A. Cody


Army Aviation Hall of Fame 2009 Induction - Nashville, TN
Retired GEN Richard "Dick" A. Cody is a "Soldier's Soldier" and an "aviator's aviator." Receiving his commission as a 2LT on June 6, 1972 from the U.S. Military Academy, Cody served with distinction until retiring from active duty as the Army's 31st Vice Chief of Staff on Aug. 4, 2008. During these years, Cody served the nation around the world, commanding Soldiers, including the famed "Screaming Eagles" of the 101st Airborne Div. (Air Assault).

Cody spent 27 of his 36 years in troop assignments, commanding at all levels; including key assignments as the commander of Co. E (aviation intermediate maintenance), 24th Inf. Div. (Mech.); commander of Co. B, 229th Avn. Regt.; commander of the 1st Bn.(Attack), 101st Avn. Regt.; commander of the 4th Bde., 1st Cav. Div.; commander of the 160th Special Operations Avn. Regt. � the famed "Night Stalkers;" deputy commanding general of Task Force Hawk; and the commanding general of the 101st Abn. Div.

As a lieutenant colonel, Cody led his Apache battalion into Iraq to fire the first shots of Operation Desert Storm to eliminate two critical enemy radar sites prior to the air war campaign.

With over 5,000 flight hours, Cody is an Army master aviator rated in UH-1, OH-58, AH-1, AH-6, AH-64A Apache and AH-64D Longbow, and the MH-60K. Never was his contributions to the Army greater than during the period following Sept. 11, 2001, when as the G-3/5/7 and then the Vice Chief of Staff, Cody led the most sweeping transformation in the Army and the Aviation branch since the dawn of mechanized warfare. His actions provided the Army with the best prepared, trained and equipped force in the world; introducing the most technically capable, modernized fleet of aircraft, including the UH-60M, the Apache Longbow Block III, the CH-47F, the UH-72A, the C-27J Spartan and several unmanned aircraft systems.

Cody's numerous awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, five Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with numeral 3 device, and the gold medallion of the Branch's Honorable Order of St. Michael.

No individual has had a greater impact on the Army and the Aviation branch in the 21st century than GEN Richard Cody.