Harold R. "Dick" Neal passed away on September 12, 2021. He wished to be remembered as a military man who loved his wife, his family and his country. He was preceded in death by his parents H. Fred Neal and Mildred Nola Wilkins of Clay County, IN and his sister Betty J. Slack. He is survived by his wife Anne Butcher, son Richard Neal, wife Bobbie Neal, daughter, Debra Miller and husband Tim Miller, daughter Debra Miller and husband Tim Miller, brother Fred Neal and wife Julia, brother Samuel Neal and wife Deloris, brother-in-law Jack Caperton and wife Carolyn, grandchildren Samantha Miles, Haley Neal, Mary DesJardines, Ruth DesJardines, Jenny Miller and Jessica Miller.

Dick was born December 10, 1935 on a farm in Clay County, Indiana. As the son of an Indiana State Policeman, he grew up in various parts of Indiana, but mostly around the area of Brazil, In. He attended Indiana University on a basketball scholarship and played on a Big Ten championship team in 1957. His proudest possession was the Big Ten medal, awarded annually to one athlete from each Big Ten school for outstanding scholarship and athletic performance. One of his great thrills was being drafted by the Boston Celtics. This made him a lifelong fan of those Celtics.

Following graduation, Dick entered the Air Force as a second lieutenant through the Reserve Office Commissioning Program (ROTC). Identified as an outstanding ROTC graduate, he was immediately commissioned into the regular Air Force. Dick attended navigator training at Harlington AFB, TX and bombardier training at Mather AFB, CA before being assigned as a radar bombardier in B-47s at March AFB, CA. Later he attended B-52 training at Castle AFB, CA and Mather AFB, CA before being assigned as a B-52 radar bombardier at Dow AFB, ME., and Barksdale, AFB, LA. After staff duties at Barksdale, he was assigned to Utapo, Thailand where he planned and briefed B-52 bombing mission in the Vietnam War. As a flight instructor, he flew "over the shoulder" missions to qualify aircrew for combat and on occasion acted as the mission airborne commander. For his actions during this period, he received the Bronze Star, Air Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with four bronze stars, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Distinguished Unit Citation with the V device for Valor.

After Vietnam, Dick was assigned to Headquarters, 8 ^th Air Force where he evaluated the readiness of wing bombing and navigation activities. During this period, he was in charge of the 8 ^th AF participants in the Air Force's Bombing and Navigation Competition. 8 ^th AF entrants won the first five places. In 1973, he was assigned to the Directorate of Operation, headquarters USAF (Pentagon) where he remained for five years in various capacities including Chief, Strategic Bomber Branch, Strategic Division. This branch planned, justified and defended all moneys allocated to strategic, bomber, tanker and airborne missile forces to the Air Force, Department of Defense and Congress. While at the Pentagon, he met Ruth Ann Caperton, a Fairfax County school teacher and they became inseparable.

After the Pentagon, Dick went to Pease AFB as the Resource Manager, the officer in charge of all monetary and assets on the base. During this assignment, he married the love of his life, Ruth Ann Caperton who joined him at Pease. While at Pease he was promoted to full Colonel. Shortly after Ruth Ann's arrival, they were reassigned to the Directorate of Intelligence, Headquarters Strategic Air Command. In the six years at this assignment, Dick held jobs as the director of Collections, Director of Operational Intelligence and ultimately, his dream job, becoming the Commander of the 544 ^th Strategic Intelligence wing. This organization, staffed by 1400 personnel, provided the intelligence necessary to conduct the nations nuclear war plan. It was often said that Dick got the Wing Commander assignment, the plum of the Air force intelligence world, because Ruth Ann had charmed the wife of the Commander of the Strategic Air Command. While his career was diverse and most fulfilling, he would in his own words "always be a B-52 crew member".

After retiring in 1987, Dick went to work for Hughes Aircraft company as a project manager doing classified intelligence communications programs. After retiring from Hughes, Dick and Ruth Ann returned to Arkansas and built their dream home on a mountain overlooking Greer's Ferry Lake. It was during this time he became a convert to all things Razorback. This included coaching and officiating all Hog basketball games from his easy chair. As Dick grew old together with Anne, they enjoyed their life attending Razorback football games, visiting with family and friends and living as God intended and attending church.

Memorial may be given to the Cotton Plant Methodist Church, The Cotton Plant Cemetery or the Wounded Warriors Project.