Rick Bates was born in 1948 in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He was commissioned a 2d Lt in the U.S. Air Force through the Air Force ROTC program at the University of North Dakota on June 7, 1970, and went on active duty beginning August 1, 1970. Lt Bates next completed Undergraduate Navigator Training and was awarded his navigator wings at Mather AFB, California, in June 1971, followed by F-4 Phantom II Combat Crew Training from July 1971 to February 1972. His first assignment was as an F-4 Weapons System Officer with the 433rd Tactical Fighter Squadron at Ubon Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, from April 1972 until he was forced to eject over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War on October 5, 1972. After spending 176 days in captivity, Lt Bates was released during Operation Homecoming on March 29, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Scott AFB, Illinois, and then attended Undergraduate Pilot Training, receiving his pilot wings at Williams AFB, Arizona, in April 1975. After completing F-4 Combat Crew Training, Capt Bates served as an F-4 pilot at Hill AFB, Utah, from April 1975 to August 1978, followed by service as an F-4 pilot at Hahn AB, West Germany, from August 1978 to October 1981. His next assignment was as an F-4 instructor pilot at George AFB, California, from October 1981 to February 1984, and then as Chief of the Standardization/Evaluation Division of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California, from February 1984 to June 1988. Maj Bates' final assignment was as an F-4 instructor pilot back at George AFB from June 1988 until his retirement from the Air Force on August 1, 1990. After retiring from the Air Force, Rick worked for Tracor Flight Systems, a defense contractor flying the F-100, T-33, F-86, and F-4, and has worked as an MD80 simulator instructor for American Airlines since 1997.