Richard Lafayette “Dick” Cox Jr. was a West Point classmate, a companymate, and a dear friend. I have fond memories of our time together in company H-1 at the Academy and our first assignment in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC.
Dick was born October 26, 1938 to Richard L. Cox Sr. and Jane King Cox. His uncle, Nat Dulaney King, a West Point graduate with the Class of 1946, had a profound influence on Dick’s life. Dick adored his uncle, as he regaled him with stories of his life at West Point, the end of World War II, and postwar adventures in war-torn Europe. These stories inspired Dick to want to attend West Point at an early age. Consequently, when he came of age, he sought and received a congressional appointment to the Academy and entered with the Class of 1960 in July 1956.
At 17 years of age, he was among the youngest members of the Class of 1960; however, he was very mature in delving into the engineering-oriented academics and was determined to be the best scholar he could be. Dick’s strongpoint was math, and he was generous with his time in tutoring deficient companymates. His proudest achievement in this regard was classmate Joe Russo, who failed plebe math and had to take the “turn out” exam. Thanks to Dick’s efforts and his skill in tutoring, Joe passed and remained in the Corps of Cadets.
But plebe year for Dick was not all work and no play! He met Anna, a beautiful, vivacious young lady from nearby Highland Falls, NY. They dated for the next two and a half years and were married immediately after graduation in the Cadet Chapel on June 8, 1960. Dick adored Anna; his kind and gentle ways kept the family together for the rest of his life.
Dick’s distinguished military career was marked by the West Point motto: Duty, Honor, Country. He chose Infantry as his branch and the 82nd Airborne Division as his first assignment. Following the basic course, as well as airborne and Ranger training at Fort Benning, GA, the couple traveled to Fort Bragg where he was assigned to the 501st Parachute Infantry Battle Group. He served as a platoon leader for a year and then aide de camp for the assistant division commander for another year. When his two-year tour was up, he decided that, rather than jump out of perfectly good airplanes, he would like to fly them! So, he signed up for flight school to learn to fly aircraft. During this time at Fort Bragg, daughter Anna Jane was born in 1961.
On completion of flight school at Fort Rucker, AL, he was assigned to the Infantry School at Fort Benning. During this time, daughter Karen Bridget was born in 1964, and soon thereafter, in 1965, their son, Richard L. Cox IV, was born. In 1966 Dick was assigned to Vietnam to the 11th Air Assault Division. He returned stateside for a year and was back to Vietnam in 1968, where he served with the 74th Aviation Company initially and later with Headquarters, XVIII Airborne Corps. His exploits in the conflict earned him a Distinguished Flying Cross, five Bronze Star Medals and numerous other awards, including 61 Air Medals. On returning from Vietnam, he was selected for attendance to the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, KS. Among the 1,450 officers selected for CGSC, Dick graduated high in the top 10 percent of his class, once again demonstrating his commitment to academic excellence.
Following CGSC, he went on to earn an MBA from the University of Tennessee, which he completed in 1972. He then served three years in the Combat Development Experimentation Command (CDEC) from 1972 to 1975. Here he made many significant contributions and received a commendation for his excellent work. From CDEC, he was assigned to Headquarters, Southern Command in the Panama Canal Zone 1975 to 1980. For his many contributions to this organization, he was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. After completing duties in SOCOM, he was assigned briefly to the Readiness Command, for which he worked diligently until retiring in 1980 after 20 years in the Army and being promoted to lieutenant colonel.
After retiring, Dick and family soon began campaigning for Ronald Reagan. Eventually, President Reagan appointed him to be the U.S. Marshal of the Middle District of Florida from 1982 to 1990, distinguishing himself with awards again.
During his free time, Dick attended Stetson University College of Law and in three years earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1986. He practiced federal criminal law from 1990 to 2010 then retired proud and happy to have served his country. These remarkable achievements indicate his lifelong commitment to excellence in everything he did and are a tribute to his persistence and character, which he displayed every day of his life. Dick is a respected, loved and missed freedom hero whose sacrifices made the world a safer and happier place for all.
Goodbye Dick, you have had a long, well lived, adventurous, interesting life. I would like to conclude with a passage from our Alma Mater: “And when our work is done, our course on earth is run, may it be said ‘Well Done; Be Thou at Peace.’” Dick, old friend, Well Done; Be Thou at Peace.
— Alonzo Coose, Friend and Classmate, with assistance from Anna Cox, Dick’s Wife