photo #1594631

Folks I had a great military career which led to other opportunities of interest. Below is a short summary. Dr. Richard Saccone spent a career in the USAF as an NCO and Officer. He began his service as a flight line mechanic working on most of modern fighter aircraft including F-16, F-15, A-10, F-5, F-4, F-105, F-111 and others. After finishing college through a unique Air Force program he became a Special Agent, conducting felony criminal, fraud and counterintelligence investigations and operations worldwide. Rick spent most of his career assigned overseas, home based in South Korea but traveling throughout Asia. During a return assignment to Los Angeles Air Force Station, he worked with an anti-terrorist task force for the 1984 Olympics in LA. Following that he moved to Monterey and graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School with a M.A. in National Security Affairs and from the Defense Language Institute, studying Korean, before returning to Seoul. Dr. Saccone became the Chief of Counterintelligence for the USAF in Korea and worked on the counter terror task force for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. He also Commanded a Special Investigative Detachment and, as the chief liaison officer in the national capital, worked closely with ten different foreign government agencies and as many U.S. agencies. He received multiple awards from the Korean and American governments and two Meritorious Service medals from the USAF. Along the way, he wrote scores of culture and travel articles for a local paper in Seoul and began writing books about the history, travel, and culture of South Korea to share his experiences with others. He appeared on the Korean episode on the Popular PBS show Full Circle with celebrity Michael Palin. He also taught English at several Korean institutes in his spare time. After retiring from the USAF, Dr. Saccone stayed in South Korea to work as a TV news anchor on an English language station, and took several jobs working for Korean and American companies in Seoul and Central America before returning to the U.S. to begin work on his Ph.D. During this period, he was asked to represent an international organization in North Korea building nuclear power plants as part of the Agreed Framework negotiated under the Clinton Administration. As the only American living in North Korea at the time, he gained valuable diplomatic experience working and successfully negotiating with North Koreans, resulting in two books about that enigmatic country, including “Negotiating with North Korea,” and “Living with the Enemy: Inside North Korea.” As your next Lt Governor I will bring a diverse background of unmatched qualifications and experience. What do you think? DONATE at WWW.RickForLG.com