Richard McNally

Richard E. McNally dedicated his life to the service of the United States. Richard was a medical technician in the Air Force who became one of the few enlisted people who subsequently entered and graduated from the Air Force Academy. He spent nine additional years on active duty, was selected for the rank of Major "below the zone" but chose to transition to contractor status for the next 35 years supporting the Department of Defense. Richard's contribution to the Air Force was so inspirational that a book was written entitled "Vapor: The Life and Times of Richard McNally – The Air Force's Genius Chemist". The Seventh Air Force Commander in South Korea called Richard a national treasure. Richard's contributions covered a wide gambit. He was instrumental in the development of the Air Force's Chemical Warfare Concept of Operations and the Air Force's Biological Detection Concept of Employment. The current generation of Air Force warfighters still use the concepts, tools, and procedures Richard developed or played a significant role in developing. Richard was the author or co-author of at least 145 technical reports and at one time held one of the most unique jobs in the Air Force; he was the program manager for the Air Force's version of the Navy. Richard also supported the CIA's Persian Gulf War Task Force. He set up and ran tests that showed where chemical releases occurred in Operation Desert Storm, and thereby played a vital part in ensuring deserving warfighters received treatment for exposures many people and organizations didn't think happened. Richard was also tremendously supportive of his family members, especially in terms of some of them bettering themselves with education. Richard was the son of Chief Petty Officer Edward H. McNally (USN, ret.) and Lorraine J. McNally (Lesieur). Richard was married for 43 years to Wendy S. McNally (Walters), who died in July 2023. Richard is survived by his sons Sean and Shannon, his daughter Stacy McNish; his grandchildren Hannah, James, Ian, Camden, Riley, Karson, and Christopher; and his sister Debbie McNally.