Chief Warrant Officer 4 Richard E. Wilkinson, U.S. Army

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Richard C Wilkinson

U.S. Army, Retired

Inducted 2024

Richard Wilkinson was born in Girardville, PA in 1930. He enlisted in the Army on 25 July 1948 at the age of seventeen. From a Continuous Wave Radio Operator to Corporal Missile Platoon Sergeant to Senior Instructor on the Pershing Missile System as a Field Artillery Warrant Officer, Wilkinson displayed the highest degree of professional excellence. He devoted himself to mentoring, training, coaching, and leading thousands of soldiers throughout his stellar career during the Cold War - our Nation’s precarious time against the Soviet Union. Appointed as a Field Artillery Chief Warrant Officer Two on 16 September 1957, Wilkinson served in a variety of key leadership positions ranging from Corporal Artillery Battalions, Pershing Artillery Battalions, and as a Senior Instructor for the Pershing Missile Systems at the U.S. Army Field Artillery and Missile School at Fort Sill. Serving in these units followed a strict selection process due to the sensitivity of the Army’s modernization efforts to counter the intermediate-range missile threat posed by the Soviet Union. He was selected to become an instructor based on his skills, qualifications, and certifications. Being a graduate of missile courses at the U.S. Army Artillery and Missile School at Fort Sill, U.S. Army Missile and Munitions School at Redstone Arsenal, and having served one or more tours with missile units in CONUS and overseas earned Wilkinson entrance into a specialized cohort. He played a key role in the success of the U.S. Army Field Artillery Missile Systems Evaluation Group. He quickly codified lesson plans that strengthened the profession. His untiring efforts during the Cold War proved instrumental in the development of warfighters attending professional military education and training. Chief Wilkinson retired as a CW4 in January 1978 after 31 years of faithful service to the U.S. Army and the Field Artillery. Following his retirement, he continued his service as a Senior Instructor for Martin Marietta Corporation, the first civilian contractor to be awarded the Pershing Missile System contract. In this capacity, Chief Wilkinson trained hundreds of members of the German Air Force on the capabilities, requirements, employment, and limitations of the Pershing Missile System. Richard Wilkinson has an impressive portfolio of service that spans over 43-years of patriotic service to the Nation, the U.S. Army, and the Field Artillery. He has dedicated his energy to building lethal and cohesive organizations and is a true representation of an expert in his craft.