Colonel (Retired) Richard Maurice Naab

1940 - 2025

Colonel (Retired) Richard Maurice Naab, 85, died on 1 November 2025. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mimi (née Dizotell); his daughters, Rachelle and Trary; their husbands, Zak Kouar and Javier Ubarri; and his four grandchildren: Aneese Kouar, Javi Ubarri, Alejandra Ubarri, and Zayd Kouar.

He was born on 29 October 1940 and raised in Rock Island, Illinois. Dick had an illustrious athletic career at Alleman High School, where he could run the 100-yard dash in ten seconds. He was recruited by every Big Ten college and many other programs across the country. When Notre Dame asked him to play football, the decision came easily. After graduating in 1962 with a degree in Economics, he tried out for the Buffalo Bills. Of that experience he would quip, "when you come in from practice and your locker is empty you know you are done".

Dick entered the Army that same year. He went to Vietnam in January 1968, just ahead of the Tet Offensive and returned home in 1969. His decorations included the Silver Star for valor in combat.

After a short assignment at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, he returned to Vietnam in 1970 as part of the CORDS (Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support) program. Dick attended the Armed Forces Staff College before attending San Jose State, where he earned a master's degree in Russian studies. As a foreign area officer (FAO), he then attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California and the Russian Institute Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany. In 1977, he was assigned to the elite United States Military Liaison Mission (USMLM) in Berlin. He later commanded the 557th Artillery Group in Germany, served with NATO beginning in 1982, and attended the National Defense College before being appointed U.S. Army Attaché in Moscow. His Moscow assignment ended after he was declared persona non grata in a reciprocal diplomatic action. He returned to Berlin and served as Chief of USMLM through German reunification and the mission's closure in 1990.

In 1991, Dick was tasked with what he later called "the best assignment I ever had." After the Kurdish uprising against Saddam Hussein was brutally suppressed, more than one million Kurds fled to the mountains along the Turkish and Iranian borders. In response, a U.S.-led coalition launched Operation Provide Comfort to deliver aid and enforce a No-Fly Zone, creating a haven that allowed Kurds to establish an autonomous administration in 1992.

Dick's leadership, compassion, and unwavering moral clarity during that crisis left a lasting imprint. He formed deep and enduring connections in the Kurdistan Region, where he was remembered not only for his service, but for his friendship, humanity, and steadfast support of the Kurdish people. Even after retiring from active duty in 1992, he continued to advocate for their safety, dignity, and rights, often saying, "We (the United States) should be an ally. We should be with the Kurds."

From 1995 to 2003, Dick worked for Unisys Corporation as a forces analyst on the Defense Resource Management Model (DRMM), supporting the Partnership for Peace program in over 18 countries, mostly in Eastern Europe.

In 2003, he was recruited by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and returned to Kurdistan.

In his final professional years, Dick served as a senior advisor with HKN Energy, where his deep knowledge of Northern Iraq and his credibility with regional leadership were invaluable. His mentorship of local staff and his compassion for the Kurdish people shaped HKN's culture and legacy. Colleagues remembered him as a stabilizing presence-principled, loyal, and unpretentious-whose leadership always came with a kind word and steady hand.

Dick lived a full and generous life defined by honor, loyalty, and love. His family, friends, and all who knew him were touched by his humor, humility, and quiet strength. Though his passing leaves an immense void, his legacy endures in the countless lives he shaped-with integrity, compassion, and unwavering devotion.