SAN ANTONIO -- The Air Force Office of Special Investigations inducted the 51st member into its Hall of Fame, Sept. 6, following a ceremony hosted by the agency’s commanding officer.
Retired Special Agent Richard Abboud, who entered as the lone member of the Class of 2025, was honored in his first year of eligibility for a career that spanned nearly four decades.
“I am honored and humbled by my selection for the AFOSI Hall of Fame,” Abboud said after learning of his selection in July. “All I ever did was try to do the best I could at whatever job, investigation or special assignment I was given, none of which I ever asked for, but all of which I loved and valued.”
The ceremony was attended by peers, friends and loved ones, with Brig. Gen. Amy Bumgarner, AFOSI commander, hosting. “Presiding over Special Agent Abboud’s induction was an honor,” she said. “His career reflects the very best of what it means to be a Special Agent.”
Robert Vanderpool, AFOSI’s historian, echoed the significance of Abboud’s induction.
“Being chosen in his very first year of eligibility speaks volumes toward Special Agent Abboud's contributions to AFOSI,” Vanderpool said. “The Hall of Fame is reserved for the rare few whose impact echoes long after their service. Nominated by decades of his peers, his induction is a testament to this.”
Born in St. Louis, Abboud enlisted in 1975 at age 18, beginning his career in Air Force communications. Seven years later, he joined AFOSI, a change that would define his career.
Fresh out of the Special Investigations Academy in 1982, his first assignment in South Dakota tested him immediately. The narcotics unit he inherited had gone cold, but Abboud pieced together old cases, built a network of sources and within months helped dismantle a sprawling drug trade.
From there, his role expanded, first at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, where he went undercover and exposed traffickers and even solved the murder of a security policeman.
He later served overseas, where his cases grew increasingly complex. In Spain, he orchestrated the largest narcotics bust in Zaragoza’s history, dismantling an international network of traffickers.
By the mid-1980s, his skill set had broadened to counterintelligence and protective service missions. In Europe, he was often dispatched to handle politically sensitive espionage cases and high-profile protection details for senior U.S. and NATO leaders.
The turning point of Abboud’s career came in 2003, when he deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, as the first deputy director of counterintelligence for the Coalition Provisional Authority. While deployed, terrorists struck the Al Rasheed Hotel, where he was staying, and wounded him in the blast.
Even as he bled, he steadied those around him, guiding others through smoke and rubble to safety before parts of the building collapsed. For his actions, Abboud received the Defense of Freedom Medal, the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart.
When not in the field, Abboud became known for steering AFOSI through transition and transformation. He led joint operations with federal agencies, exposed technology-transfer schemes and devised new deployment packages so that other services adopted them.
Later, as the command’s chief representative during the construction of the Russell-Knox Building at Quantico, Virginia, he oversaw the consolidation of AFOSI headquarters alongside Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Army Criminal Investigation Division, the largest organizational move in AFOSI history.
Even late in his career, Abboud continued to take on field assignments. At MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, his detachment led the largest Tricare fraud investigation in U.S. history, recovering nearly $900 million in false claims and more than 300 arrests.
His team also uncovered counterfeit F-16 radars and exposed aircraft fraud schemes that returned KC-10s to service. By the time he retired in 2019, his unit was producing a torrent of intelligence reports and counterintelligence operations, a testament to the culture he had built. For his service, he received the Outstanding Civilian Career Service Award.
Across 37 years in uniform and as a civilian, Abboud’s career blended undercover work, counterintelligence, leadership and resilience in the face of danger. But according to colleagues, his greatest strength was lifting those around him.
“Special Agent Abboud’s legacy reminds us that greatness isn’t about seeking the spotlight, but about answering the call,” Bumgarner said. “It’s a legacy not only honored in our Hall of Fame but embedded in the culture of excellence he leaves for generations of Special Agents to follow.”
Editor’s note
Nominations for the AFOSI Hall of Fame must be based on genuine knowledge or documented research. Only nominations for individuals will be accepted. Contact the AFOSI History Office at AFOSI.HO.Historian@us.af.mil for more information.