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After years of service to his country, community, family and friends, Col. Richard Henry McDow was remembered for his dedication to others after passing away at the age of 78 on March 13. (Contributed)

(Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)

By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

On June 27, 1972, United States Air Force 1st Lt. Richard Henry McDow was flying over North Vietnam as part of his 141st combat mission when he was hit by a surface-to-air missile. Forced to eject from the aircraft above enemy territory, an injured McDow was captured by the North Vietnamese and made a prisoner of war.

Eventually, he was moved to a camp on the outskirts of town where he remained until near the end of the war. It was there that he eventually earned a peculiar nickname that stuck during his time as a prisoner.

“Rick picked up a nickname there,” said Alan Rose, who met McDow as a fellow POW during Vietnam. “The guard could not pronounce McDow and it kept coming out, ‘Mgdow, maddo, maddog… mad dog.’ So, Rick became mad dog among our group.”

During his time as a POW, McDow endured numerous hardships until he was ultimately released through Operation Homecoming on March 28, 1973 after 275 days in captivity. Nearly a week later, McDow and several other Alabama POWs stepped down from the plane and were greeted by an overwhelming homecoming from friends, family and strangers alike.

“What I remember was hearing everybody cheering,” said Beverly McDow, Rick’s wife.

Beverly waited for Rick as he approached the car and climbed in for a long-awaited reunion full of more emotion than could be put into words.

Rick left active duty on July 6, 1973 when he took a break for nearly a year before returning on May 13, 1974.

In 1978, Rick was selected to fly the A-10 Thunderbolt, the aircraft he flew for the remainder of his career. Rick became the squadron commander of the 355th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Myrtle Beach Air Force in 1989 and led his squadron in Operation Desert Shield and Desert storm, deploying to Saudi Arabia in August 1990. Under his leadership, the squadron flew nearly 1,500 combat sorties before returning home in March 1991.

He retired from the United States Air Force at the rank of colonel in May 1994.

Surrounded by friends, family and colleagues at Rick’s memorial, Beverly knew there was only one word to describe who her late husband was.

“He was a patriot,” Beverly said. “He was proud of what he did. He’d spent his entire professional life in the Air Force flying. He flew his last day of retirement.”

Heart of a servant

Rick passed away on March 13 in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina at the age of 78. Born on Nov. 6, 1946 in Clanton, Rick lived a life of dedication—fully intent on serving his country and his family.

“He was a man of faith, he was a man who loved his country, his family—a patriot,” Beverly said.

A funeral service for Rick was held at First United Methodist Church in Isle of Palms, South Carolina on Sunday, March 23 at 2 p.m. A visitation service was held on Saturday, March 29 at Bolton Funeral Home in Columbiana on Saturday March 29 at 2 p.m.

At 3 p.m., one final service was held for Rick, surrounded by friends and family with full military honors as he was buried at Pinelawn Gardens in Columbiana.

“I had the privilege of knowing Rick and Beverly McDow beginning in 2003, when I was their pastor and was for five years,” said Jim Reece, the retired pastor of First Methodist of Wetumpka, who delivered the eulogy. “I discovered that Rick and I had a certain bond because we were both military men… so we had things we could talk about.”

When considering the kind of person Rick was, Reece shared that he believes Rick was fortunate and was set apart from others because he knew what he wanted to do in life from an early age.

“I imagine most of us have known someone, perhaps someone very close, who never knew what their purpose was, who never really knew what their niche was and therefore never found one. That’s not true of Rick,” Reece said. “He had a dream, he wanted to fly and he was successful in fulfilling his dream. And that dream, probably, became more than he had originally envisioned. It became the fulfillment of his career.”

However, Rick was more than his personal aspirations and hobbies, according to Reece—he had the heart of a servant.

“The life of a servant, the role of a servant, it speaks of the characteristic of selflessness,” Reece said. “I think of Rick’s deployments which meant time away from home, time away from family—where his heart truly was.”

It was that servant’s heart that led Rick through his career and through his toughest moments where he maintained an unbreakable resolve.

“I think of the months of his captivity in North Vietnam and all he endured during that period,” Reece said. “I think of Bev and the family waiting and wondering and hoping and praying. And I think of the ways that God sustained him during the months of that captivity. God sustained him with a Godly faith. He knew who his God was. He knew Jesus was his savior. He knew he was loved. He knew that, in spite of turmoil at that time here in the country, there were millions that supported the cause for which our men and women were there. He was sustained.”

For his sister, Patti Evans, Rick’s unyielding faith was the true take away from the life that he lived. When he learned that the end was coming, his steadfast faith allowed him to endure, knowing that there was a better place than this Earth.

“He was a Christian, he knew that his Lord and Savior was Jesus Christ and that he never had to worry when he found out that he was dying because he knew where he was going,” Evans said.

Surrounded by friends

As a man with a servant’s heart, Rick couldn’t help but touch the lives of others which is why is many came to say goodbye one last time at his memorial.

“It’s so warm and loving to see how many people have come out from so long ago that we maybe haven’t seen in a while,” said Lisa McDow Elizondo, Rick’s daughter. “He really impacted everyone he came into contact with. And so, it just feels so good to me to see everyone that loved him and is here.”

At both services, friends from all over the country traveled to pay their respects to the man who had meant so much to them.

“I’ve got family here, I’ve got high school friends, we have another POW who came here from San Antonio, Texas,” Beverly said. “I was not expecting this many people. It’s been just heartwarming.”

The sound of taps echoed throughout the cemetery as Rick was given a final farewell with full military honors. Rick now rests at Pinelawn Gardens next to his father, James Thomas McDow and his daughter, Kelly Elizabeth McDow.

“Jesus said, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’ and that is what Rick did,” Reece said. “He laid down his life in fulfilling his dream, in defending his country, in providing for his family and fighting for the things that really mattered most.”

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