Richard A Mallahan

Colonel Mallahan, USAF (Ret.) is the Commandant for the Corps of Cadets of the Texas Maritime Academy at Texas A&M – Galveston.

Prior to his appointment, he worked for nine years on the College Station campus as the Assistant Commandant where he directed the major scholastic programs for the Corps. He was the guiding force behind the Corps Discipline program and the Commandant’s interface with the Dept of Student Life when resolution of discipline cases result in University sanctions.

Colonel Mallahan was a distinguished graduate of the Reserve Officers Training Program at Texas A&M University and graduated with a bachelor of business administration degree and commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force.  He received his Masters of Business degree from Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas in 1972.  He graduated from the Air Force Command and Staff College in 1984 and Air War College in 1987. Colonel Mallahan is a command pilot with over 4,400 hours in the C-141, T-39, C-12 and C-21 aircraft.  His military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, 4 Meritorious Service Medals and 3 Air Force Commendation Medals.

Colonel Mallahan became the Asst Commandant for Academics & Discipline in July 2000 upon completing 28 year of service with the United States Air Force.  Prior to his retirement from active duty, he was the Director of Reengineering for the Headquarters, Air Combat Command, the largest command in the Air Force and his team of engineers received the 1999 Air Force Productivity Award for Professional Excellence.  He has extensive experience preparing young men and women for leadership positions including tours of duty as an Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University, an Instructor Pilot for 7 years, and Squadron Commander for 4 years.

The Colonel is a member of Texas A&M’s Class of 1971 and is a former cadet of Squadron 2.  During his time at Texas A&M, he was the 1st Group Sergeant Major, 1st Group Commander, member of the Ross Volunteers honor company and a member of the Executive Committee, for the Student Council on National Affairs.

Colonel Mallahan was a distinguished graduate of the Reserve Officers Training Program at Texas A&M University and graduated with a bachelor of business administration degree and commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force.  He received his Masters of Business degree from Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas in 1972.  He graduated from the Air Force Command and Staff College in 1984 and Air War College in 1987.

His many assignments include three Headquarters Tours at the Major Command Level and one Headquarters Tour at the Joint Level.  He was a Squadron Commander for two tours and spent the rest of his time flying airlift aircraft around the world, to such exotic locations as Antarctica, Anchorage, Tehran, Berlin and Nairobi.

Colonel Mallahan is a command pilot with over 4,400 hours in the C-141, T-39, C-12 and C-21 aircraft.  His military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, 4 Meritorious Service Medals and 3 Air Force Commendation Medals.
He is married to the former Susan LonL Collins of Beaumont, Texas.  They have three Aggie children, Bethany ’96, Mark ’99 and Rebecca ’02.

My Personal Story

As far as I can remember, my parents always took us to a Protestant church and we grew up knowing about God.  We also had a strong family life and never any doubt that our parents loved us all; my two brothers and my sister.

However, it wasn’t until we moved to Beaumont, Texas that I met a lovely young lady, my future wife, who invited me to a church revival on our third date.  And it was at that revival with the Rev Billy Bonner, that he asked me whether I wanted to go to Heaven or Hell when I die.  I thought the answer was a “no brainer”, of course I would rather go to Heaven.  Next he said, if I wanted to guarantee Heaven, then I would have to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and receive Him into my heart.  Right then and there, I said I can do that, and invited Jesus into my heart.

Now came the tough part!  I had to live for Jesus and turn over to him all my actions.  Since I had always depended upon hard work and myself to succeed in college and in my jobs, it was hard at first to include Jesus in my life, except when I needed Him or was in trouble.  You see I was pretty proud of the fact that I had graduated from the Corps of Cadets as the 1st Group Commander, gotten married and was in graduate school working on my MBA by age 21.

However, upon receiving my MBA and entering the USAFs undergraduate pilot training program, I finally found that flying a jet aircraft wasn’t as easy as it looked and the standard wash out rate was around 40% not finishing the pilot training course.  It was then that I realized that I was trying to do it all by myself with hard work and that I would have to turn it over to the Lord for His will to be done.  Since then I have logged over 4,400 flying hours over 20 years, and achieved the certification of Command Pilot.

What a valuable lesson and since then, I have learned through the years, that constant prayer, daily reading of the Bible and becoming an active member in a church helps me to keep my focus on the Lord and not on myself.  I have also learned through my wife and family how to be a servant leader, and what a joy it is to be in service to the Lord and not myself.

It isn’t easy at times to be humble and serve others, but it is a worthy goal and one I keep my eye on, as I work with college students and a college ministry.

Finally, I must include the fact that my beautiful wife, Lonni who is a devoted Christian wife and great Mom had a huge impact on my commitment to follow the Lord and become a Christian husband and Dad. There is no doubt that I wouldn’t be where I am today, without her love, her help and her devotion.