- Date Of Birth: December 29, 1936
- Date Of Death: December 14, 2020
- State: Texas
A fine cavalry officer has made his final dismount. Col. (R) Richard L. Quinn passed away on December 14, 2020, at the age of 83, with his wife and several children by his side. Dick was born December 29, 1936, at Fort Hayes, Columbus, OH, to Col. Michael A. and Francis P. (Hodes) Quinn.
Born into a military family, he traveled extensively during his formative years, but Visitation parish in Kansas City, MO was home for much of his youth. Dick attended Maur Hill Prep (1954-1955) in Atchison, KS and Bellarmine Prep (1951-1954) in Tacoma, WA. While attending Bellarmine, he enrolled as a JROTC cadet at age 14. At 17 he enlisted in the Army Reserve at Fort Lewis, WA. He attended Seattle University and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. of Armor upon graduation in June of 1960.
While at Seattle University, he met and married his love and best friend, Patricia Anne Frazer. They were married in Seattle on August 30, 1958. Together they made their home wherever the Army sent them, raising nine children and offering love, guidance and refuge for many others along the way. Dick lived his life in service to God, his country and his fellow man. He always made it clear that God came first, and he served Him well. His greatest service to God, though, was seen in his willingness to help anyone who needed it.
He was involved with the Pro-Life movement and many organizations within the Catholic Church, such as prison and funeral ministries and the Retired Men’s Bible Study at Assumption Parish, Spokane, WA. A trooper to the end, Col. Quinn led a long and distinguished military career. After completing the Armor Officers’ Basic Course, he was assigned to Germany from 1960 to 1964, where he served in a variety of operational and command positions. In 1965, he completed the Armor Officers’ Career Course and was assigned as a MAC-V Advisor to an irregular unit in the Republic Of Vietnam. From 1966 to 1969, he served as the Commandant of Cadets of the ROTC program at New Mexico State University. In September of 1969, he returned to Vietnam and was initially attached to the 3d Marine Amphibious Force as an Intelligence Officer.
He later joined the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (BLACKHORSE) as the S-3 Plans Officer. During this period he helped in the initial planning of the Cambodian incursion, coordinated the logistical support for the Regiment in the forward areas, and was given command of two separate Task Forces. Returning to the United States in 1970, Col. Quinn spent the next five years with his parent Regiment, the 3d Armored Cavalry at Ft. Lewis, WA and Ft. Bliss, TX. At various times during this period he served as the Executive Officer and temporary Commander of all three Squadrons of the Regiment and finished his tour as the Regimental Adjutant. Col.
Quinn completed the Command and General Staff College in 1976, and took over as the Chief of Armor / Infantry Enlisted Branch at the Department of the Army’s Military Personnel Center. In 1978, Col. Quinn returned to the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment where he commanded the 1st Squadron. He next served as the Inspector General at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and in October of 1981, was assigned as the Chief of War Plans for the reconstituted I Corps at Ft. Lewis. In 1984, he became the Post Commander of Ft. Greeley, AK. When his Alaskan tour was completed in 1986, he assumed a second post command at Ft. A. P. Hill, VA. Col.
Quinn retired from the Army in November of 1988, and initially settled with his wife and 5 of their 9 children in Spokane, WA. In January of 1991, he was recalled to active duty in support of the First Gulf War and was assigned as the Director of Plans, Training and Mobilization at Ft. Lewis. Aside from the normal duties associated with the DPT/M, he coordinated the deployment and redeployment of all the soldiers through Ft. Lewis to and from the Gulf and subsequently orchestrated the re-stationing of units from Germany and Ft. Ord, CA to Ft. Lewis. In January of 1992, Col. Quinn retired from the Army for a second time and returned to his home in Spokane. From 1995 to 1997, Dick worked as a project manager overseeing logistical sites for both Vinnell and Bechtel corporations in the Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia.
With the onset of the war in Iraq and the deployment of the 3d Armored Cavalry, Col. Quinn and Patti decided to do what they could to support the Regiment. They established a home outside of Fort Hood, TX and have provided support and assistance to the Troopers and their families through every deployment. In 2006 he volunteered to help reconstitute the 3d Cavalry Association and served as the Executive Director until 2011. For the remainder of his life, he continued to serve the Association in an advisory role and as a member of the Board of Directors. Col. Quinn received numerous awards and decorations over the years including the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Legion Of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Valorous Service Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation with Oak Leaf Cluster, Vietnam Service, Medal, National Defense Service Medal with a Bronze Service Star, Armed Forces, Reserve Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, two awards of the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palms. Col.
Quinn was honored by the US Field Artillery Association and enrolled in the Order of St. Barbara and the Order of the Magnolia by the Mississippi National Guard. In 2019, Col. Quinn was honored as a Distinguished Knight in the Order of St. George (Silver Medal) by the US Cavalry and Armor Association, appointed as a Trooper in the Honorary Squadron of the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen by the 3d US Cavalry Regiment. Col. Quinn was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Jerome, Thomas, Terrance, James, and Michael Quinn, his sisters Patricia Krueger and Mary Ellen McKain, and his grandson Nicholas Bianco.
He is survived by his wife, Patti, of the home; their children: Sean (Paola) Quinn, Gricignano di Aversa, Italy, Tom (Tracey) Quinn, Casselberry, FL, Jim Quinn, Spokane, WA, Sheila (Sheldon) Edmondson, Cibolo,TX, Katie (Scott) Blair, Cedar Park, TX, Colleen Quinn, Belton, TX, Daniel (Jennifer) Quinn, Belton, TX, Mary (Luke) Baker, Atchison, KS, Joseph (Casey) Quinn, Atchison, KS; 25 grandchildren: Stephanie Isaacson, Ann-Marie Quinn, Trisha Gortney, Anthony Bianco, Jeremy Bianco, Zachary Quinn, Anthony Barton, Joshua Hodges, Trevor Edmondson, Karen Blain, Gina Musler, Sarah Blair, Hansen, Ethan, Brennen, and Eleanor Quinn, Joseph, Samuel, Charles an Patsy Baker, Eli, Cruz and Frankie Quinn, Zachary and Jacob Bengamu; 13 great-grandchildren: Amity, Lydia, Lana, and Logan Gortney, Jace Bianco, Olivia and Augustus Hodges, Alizayah, Skylar and Gracyn Edmondson, Lyla-Anne, Jameson, and William Blain; Sandra Jofre, Patrick and Eroni Bengamu, their families, and many others that he loved as his own.
