Lt Col Richard L Judy, II
Richard L. Judy II, aka “Ritch” is the former Morgantown Composite Squadron Commander. He is also an active Incident Commander (level 3), AOBD, GBD, and many other specialties. He has been a CAP member since April 1992.
Lt Col Judy began his CAP service as a Cadet in the Morgantown Composite Squadron, rising to the rank of Cadet Technical Sargent and commanding the Morgantown Cadets for nearly a year. During this time, Lt Col Judy was also the recorder then chair of the Wing’s Cadet Advisory Council (CAC). He ended his Cadet Service in September 1997 when he transferred to Senior member status. After transferring to Senior member status, he was awarded the rank of Flight Officer (FO) and held that rank during his college years.
Lt Col Judy has held several Squadron and Wing positions during his time in CAP. He was the Historian, Supply Officer, Admin/Personnel Officer, ES Officer, Safety Officer and IT Officer. At the Wing Level he was appointed the Director of IT in May of 1997 and held that position until Oct 2018 when he was appointed Vice Commander. As the Director of Information Technology (IT), he assisted with streamlining the Wing’s processes using Google forms and providing WV CAP branded Email accounts to those Wing Staff, Squadron Commanders, and Counterdrug personnel. They also completed moving the Wing’s request for activity/fundraising form online, as well as moving the encampment application process online. A form was created for the state legislative day to ensure that all Senators and Delegates were visited and informed about CAP’s contribution to the state and its impact on the youth of West Virginia.
In 2014, Lt Col Judy was appointed the Squadron Commander of the Morgantown Composite Squadron. He has focused on teamwork, training both aircrew and ground crew, and putting the Squadron on solid financial footing should the state grant allocated to most West Virginia Squadrons is retracted. The squadron had grown to approximately 30 Cadets and 25 Seniors. As he transitions out of the Squadron Commander role, Lt Col Judy will continue to serve the Squadron in a role yet to be determined by the new commander.
Lt Col Judy has also volunteered at the “Wreaths Across America” event, and has been a chaperone for 2 years with West Virginia’s delegation to National Legislative Day. In addition, he has given over 100 Cadet Orientation Rides and has over 30 sorties as a Mission Pilot to his credit.
Lt Col Judy was awarded the National Commander’s Commendation for his assistance in the SuperStorm Sandy aerial photography mission, the Meritorious Service Award for his duties with the Wing’s Counterdrug mission, and was named the 2015 West Virginia Wing Co-Communications Officer of the Year and also the 2015 Senior Member of the Year for West Virginia Wing.
Lt Col Judy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering (2000) from West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. He currently works MVB Financial Corporation as an IT Business Analyst in Bridgeport, WV. He also holds multiple US Government security clearances and has worked for the FBI, DoD, and IRS during his career.
Lt Col Judy is also involved outside of CAP as the President of the Morgantown Pilots Association, the Vice-President and Young Eagles Coordinator of EAA Chapter 842, Inc., and a member of the Board of Directors for Save Our Aviation Resources, Inc., an IRS 501(c)(3) entity in Waynesburg, PA dedicated to saving airports in the southwestern Pennsylvania and north-central West Virginia areas. He strives to host at least 4 Young Eagle rallies every year and to have over 100 children receive an airplane ride as part of that program.
