Laura J. Richardson

Laura J. Richardson commands my real admiration. Rising from Black Hawk pilot to four-star general and commander of U.S. Southern Command is an extraordinary climb, made all the more striking in an institution where women at the very top remain rare. I'm impressed less by the medals, deserved as the Defense Superior Service Medal is, than by the trajectory itself, beginning at a state university and ending at the summit of the uniformed ranks. Her career reads as proof of merit over pedigree, and I think that example carries weight well beyond the military.

Name (English)

Laura J. Richardson

Name (Japanese)

ローラ・J・リチャードソン

Reading

ろーら・J・りちゃーどそん

Born

December 11, 1963 (age 62)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Sagittarius / Rabbit

Origin

Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Occupation

army officer / military aviator

High school

Northglenn High School

University

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Awards & achievements

• Defense Superior Service Medal

• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura%20J.%20Richardson
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q30243094

Tags

• Missouri
• army officer
• military aviator

Last updated

2026-06-21

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.