ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. — A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Lt. Gen. Richard W. Scobee joined the Air Force in 1986. He is a command pilot with more than 3,800 flying hours in the F-16 Fighting Falcon, including 248 combat hours.

Prior to his current assignment as the deputy commander of Air Force Reserve Command, he was the commander of the Air Force Reserve’s 10th Air Force, Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas. Scobee commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels and held numerous staff positions at the unit, Air Staff and Combatant Command levels.

Scobee continues his legacy of service as the son of retired Lt. Col. Francis Richard Scobee, Air Force aircraft mechanic, test pilot and National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut who logged more than 6,500 flying hours and flew 45 types of aircraft. Lt. Col. Scobee was the commander of the Space Shuttle Challenger which suffered a catastrophic booster failure in 1986.

For his significant accomplishments, Lt. Col. Scobee was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.