In partnership with College of the Canyons, Buck McKeon presented retired general Richard Cody to speak on global trends and the direction of the United States Armed Forces as part of the McKeon Leadership Forum.

Taped November 30, 2017

About Richard Cody

During more than 36 years of service, Army Gen. Richard A. Cody (ret.) served in six of the Army’s combat divisions, held a number of key staff positions, and was 31st vice chief of staff from 2004 to 2008. He is a master army aviator, rated in a variety of helicopters with more than 5,000 hours of flight time. He is a 2008 inductee of the Army Aviation Hall of Fame. During Operation Desert Storm, then-Lt. Col. Cody led a combat mission of eight Apache helicopters that destroyed two critical Iraqi radar installations prior to the start of the allied air campaign. He is the recipient of the 2016 United States Military Academy Distinguished Graduate Award and the 2016 George C. Marshall Goodpaster Award. He has two sons, both of whom are active-duty Army helicopter pilots with several combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

About Howard P. Buck McKeon

U.S. Congress 1993-2015 (Retired)

Howard Philip “Buck” McKeon was born on September 9, 1938 in Los Angeles, California as the eldest of five boys. Buck attended Brigham Young University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science. He married Patricia Kunz on August 25, 2962. They have six children, 31 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Buck went into the western wear business with his father, Howard C. McKeon. He orchestrated getting a small business loan, locating a site and opening their second store, Howard and Phil’s Western Wear. His four brothers joined the business and together they expanded the chain to 63 retail locations in California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, becoming the largest western wear retailer in the nation at the time.

Buck has always been concerned about his community. He ran for and was elected to the William S. Hart Union High School Governing Board. He was also Chairman of the Board of the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital. As the City of Santa Clarita was incorporated, he ran for City Council. Since he received the most votes he was elected by his fellow council members as the first Mayor.

With the support of his family, friends and the community, Buck was elected to the House of Representatives in November of 1992. Buck was elected by his peers as the President of the Freshman Republican Class of the 103rd Congress. He was appointed the Chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee in 2006. His priorities were school choice, teacher quality, and greater access to higher education. He was elected Chairman of the Armed Services Committee in 2009. He built on the bi-partisan tradition of the committee and successfully led the Congress to pass the National Defense Authorization Act each year as Chairman. Buck retired from Congress as Chairman in 2015.

With his team at McKeon Group LLC, Chairman McKeon is doing all he can to work with decision-makers in Washington, D.C. to ensure that all who desire an education can achieve that goal and that our men and women in uniform have the tools necessary to accomplish their mission and return home safely.

About the Forum

College of the Canyons is proud to partner with Congressman McKeon to present the McKeon Leadership Forum, a speaker series that promotes civic engagement and reminds every citizen that a healthy democracy requires personal involvement.

Whether it’s exercising the right to vote, making time to volunteer, or even running for office, every resident has an opportunity to provide personal leadership.

The McKeon Leadership Forum endeavors to promote learning, foster dialog and inspire involvement by bringing thought leaders from the world of politics, government, the military, and social action together with the community to examine today’s most pressing issues.

Conceived as an engaging, thought-provoking exchange, the Forum proposes to not merely entertain, but encourage attendees to shape the future of their community.