Richard Chalupnik 3rd Vice Commander and Finance OfficerDistrict 21

Richard is native to Southern California. He spent 6 years in the United States Air Force in the weather field and is a Vietnam Era Veteran. Following the Air Force he completed his college degree with a major in Computer Science. His civilian life was spent as a Computer Programmer/Analyst. Richard is an Honorary Life Member of American Legion (AL) Riverside Post 79, located in Fairmount Park. He has served in a number of the AL Post 79 positions. He was AL Post 79 Commander in 2007- 2008 and served two consecutive terms as AL Post 79 Commander from July 1, 2017 till June 30, 2019. Richard has transitioned into a leadership role in AL District 21. The AL District 21 encompasses 17 posts in Riverside County. He was voted in as the AL District 21 3rd Vice Commander in September of 2019 and continues to hold that position. As 3 rd Vice Commander Richard is responsible for Children and Youth programs and is heavily involved with the Oratorical Contest and Boys State programs. In January of 2020, Richard was appointed as the AL District 21 Finance Officer and currently continues in that position. Richard is the captain of the Robert J. “Uncle Bobby” Castillo Memorial Honor Guard, also known as Team 12 at the Riverside National Cemetery (RNC) Memorial Honor Detail (MHD). The team serves all day at RNC on the 1st, 3rd, and if there is one, the 5th Tuesday of each month along with the 3rd Friday of the month. The team has served in over 4,200 Military Honors services at RNC. The team also performs as an Honor Guard in the community and performs Military Honors when requested at various venues. Richard has served on the Riverside County Veterans Advisory Committee (VAC) since July of 2015. As a VAC member, He has been involved with the Pass Area Veterans Expo and the Riverside Area Stand Down. He served as the VAC Vice Chairman for the 2017 – 2018 fiscal year. In September of 2019, he was voted in as the Riverside County VAC Chairman and continues in that role. He is also a member of the AL Past Commanders club, AL Riders Chapter 79 where he has served as Judge Advocate and currently as Chaplain, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 47 and the La Société

des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux, Voiture 394, also known as the 40 & 8.