Richard A. Kidd

Richard A. Kidd (b. June 24, 1943, Morehead, Kentucky) was the ninth Sergeant Major of the Army. He was sworn in on July 2, 1991 and served until his term expired in June 1995.

His assignments include two combat tours in Vietnam (1966-67 & 1970-71) and multiple tours in Korea (including 1st Sgt of B Company 1/32nd Infantry Regiment (Buccaneers) Camp Howze Korea, which was the only front line military unit approved by the US Congress at the time) and Europe. Before becoming the Sergeant Major of the Army, he was Command Sergeant Major (CSM) of I Corps & Fort Lewis, Fort Lewis, Washington. Among his other assignments, he has been Command Sergeant Major for numerous organizations,. These included CSM of the 9th Aviation Battalion; 2d Battalion, 2d Infantry; Commandant, 1st Armored Division, NCO Academy, Katterbach, Germany. He returned to Fort Lewis after his tour in Germany and served consecutively as CSM of the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment; 3d Brigade, 9th Infantry Division (Motorized); and 9th Infantry Division (Motorized).

Sergeant Major Kidd's awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster), Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with oak leaf cluster), Bronze Star , Meritorious Service Medal (with two oak leaf clusters), Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal (with oak leaf cluster), Army Good Conduct Medal (with silver Good Conduct Loop and three knots), the National Defense Service Medal (with service star), the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm, the Vietnam Service Medal (with four campaign stars), the Non-Commissioned Officer Development Ribbon (with award numeral 4, the Army Service Ribbon, the Army Overseas Service Ribbon (with award numeral 3), the Vietnam Gallantry Cross with bronze star, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. Badges include the Army Staff Identification Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge, Weapons Qualification Badge (Expert), and Special Forces Tab.

Since military retirement, Kidd continues to serve the military community and has received numerous awards including the Outstanding Civilian Service Award, the 2005 Sergeant Major of the Army William G. Bainbridge Medal and in 2006 he received the Doughboy Award for his outstanding contributions to the United States Army Infantry.

In 2007, Kidd was Vice President, Geico Field Representative Sales Management/Military Department. In 2010 Kidd retired from Geico and lives in Virginia.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "http://www.army.mil/leaders/leaders/sma/former/kidd.html".
The Sergeants Major of the Army, Daniel K. Elder, Center of Military History, United States Army Washington, D.C. 2003.