US Navy US Air Force

Chaplain, Lieutenant Colonel, Steven R. Rich, USAF (Ret.) has served with distinction for over 23 years of active service in the US Navy and the US Air Force. In the words of the Chief of US Air Force Chief of Chaplains, “ he has established a legacy as a gifted leader, an insightful counselor and an inspirational speaker throughout the National Capitol Region and around the globe.”

Chaplain Rich received his bachelor's degree in Literature in 1975 at Seattle Pacific University and his Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky in 1978. He graduated from the US Air Command and Staff College in 1986 and the US Air War College in 1996.

Chaplain Rich enlisted in the Navy in 1969 and served as a White House and State Department courier for the Joint Chiefs of Staff until 1971 when he was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense as administrative support for NATO and the Nuclear Defense Planning Agency. Completing his enlistment in 1973, Chaplain Rich continued his college and seminary training while serving in the Naval Reserve. In 1979, he was ordained in the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church, where he served three parish appointments.

In October 1979, Chaplain Rich entered active duty as a Navy Chaplain and served his first assignment at the Naval Amphibious Base in Norfolk, VA as the base chaplain and spiritual advisor to the commanders of the base's 25 home ported ships and 46 tenant commands, including the Navy Seals and Marines. During the next three years he served as ship's chaplain for the USS Harry E. Yarnell CG-17, a guided missile cruiser that played an active role during the Beirut Crises of 1982. In l983, he returned to the Naval Reserves where he served two tours as hospital chaplain at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Bremerton, WA and Portsmouth VA.

In 1985, Chaplain Rich transferred his commission to the U.S. Air Force and served his initial assignment with 90th Combat Support Group, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. His marriage and family programs were aired on local radio and his work with the Congressional Awards programs and POW/MIA programs received statewide recognition. In 1988, he served as staff chaplain at the 52nd Tactical Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base Germany where he conducted numerous marriage and family retreats for several US bases in Europe. He also conducted family separation workshops for the dependents of service members deployed in support of " Operation Desert Shield" and "Operation Desert Storm."

In 1992, Chaplain Rich deployed to support "Operation Desert Storm" as the senior chaplain for Stealth Crew members in Khamis, Saudi Arabia. During his assignment at Nellis AFB in 1992, his marriage retreats and his speeches before state functions including the POW/MIA observance and the American Academy of Achievement, earned him the distinction of being nominated by Senator Reid for the position of Chaplain of the United States Senate in 1993. In March 1994, Chaplain Rich was assigned as Senior Protestant Chaplain and later as the Wing Chaplain to Headquarters 11th Wing, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington D. C. Here, he directed ministry programs impacting over 13,000 personnel assigned to the National Capital Region including the White House Communications Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and the Pentagon and was frequently invited to speak before ceremonies in the White House and throughout the National Capital Region.

In 1997, he served as the Chief of Operational Ministry for the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis AFB, CA, where he directed programs impacting over 22,000 personnel and their families assigned around the globe. The Deputy Assistant to President Clinton nominated him for the Chaplain to the US House of Representatives in 1999.

Chaplain Rich is the recipient of the 1997 White House Communications Agency Hall of Fame for superior performance in support of the President of the United States, and the 1985 Headquarters USAF Award for "Best Sermons Preached in the Air Force". His other awards and decorations include the Joint Chiefs of Staff Badge, the Meritorious Service Medal with 3 oak leaf clusters, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, the Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, the National Defense Medal with 1 bronze star, Southwest Asia Medal with 1 bronze star, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Air Force Overseas Long Tour Ribbon, the Naval Sea Service Ribbon and the Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Medal.