Early sea assignments were aboard USS Salem, USS E.G. Small, and USS Kelso.He commanded USS Strauss and became Program Manager of the TALOS Guided Missile Program. He commanded the USS Albany, then was Commanding Officer of Naval Ship Weapons Engineering Station and Deputy Commander of Operational and Evaluation Force, Pacific.
Dick flew theF9F6 Cougar and the FJ-3M, commanded the VA-144, and flew 211 missions over North Viet Nam.He commanded Carrier Air Group Three, the USS Austin and the USS Iwo Jima.He attended George Washington University, the Naval War College and Harvard Business School.