Rick Lynch was born in Hamilton, Ohio. He attended the United States Military Academy primarily because his parents couldn’t afford to send him to school anywhere else. He had no particular aspirations to be in the Army. As a junior in high school, Rick asked his guidance counselor (Eilleen Lowell) where he could go to school if he had no money, and she recommended applying to the Service Academies (West Point and Annapolis). He asked how much they cost, and was told that he would be paid to attend. Made good sense to him. He applied to both, and received his acceptance letter to West Point on a Monday, and his acceptance letter to Annapolis the very next day. He attended West Point only because he received that particular letter of acceptance earlier. The postman truly determined his fate.
When Rick told his Dad that he was going to go to West Point, his Dad replied, “Boy, what do you want to do that for? That’s the Army!) Rick’s Dad, Calvin Lynch, was drafted into the Army in 1945 and discharged in 1947. Both he and the Army agreed that it wasn’t a good fit. After about 6 weeks at West Point Rick decided that his Dad was right, and West Point wasn’t for him. He called home, told his Dad he planned to quit, and was then asked “Where are you going to sleep?” So, he finished West Point and planned to be in the Army for only 5 years. He stayed 35 years.
The Army, for Rick, transitioned from a job, to a profession, to a passion. He was blessed to command at all levels, from company (about 100 Soldiers) to Corps (about 65,000 Soldiers) and ended his career commanding all of the US Army installations. Rick loves being around Soldiers and their Families, and is humbled to be in their presence. They are the true American heroes. Read more at http://www.rlynchenterprises.com/
