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Richard Riggs is running for State Representative in Oregon’s 20th district. Richard’s family has a tradition of Naval service; his grandfather served in WWII as a Seabee, and two of his uncles served in Vietnam. While growing up in Oakridge, Oregon, Richard saw his community devastated when its mills were closed, and he decided to enlist in the Navy at age 17.
Serving as a Machinist Mate, Richard quickly worked his way up through the enlisted ranks and was encouraged to apply for the Navy’s enlisted commissioning program, to which he was accepted in 1989. Richard earned a B.S. in Mathematics at Oregon State University, attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., and was commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer in 1992. Following his commissioning as a Surface Warfare Officer, Richard served in USS Arkansas (CGN 41), USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), and USS O’Kane (DDG 77). While serving in O’Kane, Richard participated in both Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
