AFCEA Distinguished Life Member Raises Awareness for ALS

ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a terminal disease that attacks the neurons in the brain and spinal cord, causing muscle control to degenerate over time. Approximately 30,000 people are living with ALS in the United States, and life expectancy is two to five years after diagnosis.

According to the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, military veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS as individuals with no experience in the service. U.S. Air Force personnel from post-9/11 deployments are even more likely to develop ALS, according to a Society of Federal Health Professionals study from 2019.

Col. Rick Lipsey, USAF (Ret.), former AFCEA Alamo Chapter president and distinguished life member of AFCEA, was diagnosed with ALS one year ago. Since his diagnosis, he has done everything he can to fight for awareness and increased funding for research.

“My passion has really become getting the word out about the disease to particularly Air Force members, but all military members and veterans,” Lipsey said, “also improving the quality of support that is provided to veterans and caregivers who get the disease, and leveraging the unique ecosystem that we have in San Antonio when it comes to biomedical research and, particularly, military medical research.”

Lipsey served in the Air Force for 28 years, ending his career as the vice commander of the 24th Air Force. About two weeks after joining the service, on January 30, 1986, Lipsey became a member of AFCEA.

After retiring, he got involved with the Alamo Chapter and served as chapter president from 2016-2022. In those six years, the Alamo Chapter’s membership tripled; its contributions to the local community included raising about $1 million a year for STEM education and the Wounded Warrior and Military Families Endowment; and it received AFCEA’s Harry C. Ingles Award several times.

“It rose from the ashes like a phoenix because of his energy and leadership,” said Col. Chris Cook, USAF (Ret.), Lipsey’s good friend and supporter.

Lipsey went on to work for Leidos and eventually decided to prioritize travel. About a year later, he noticed he couldn’t lift his briefcase. He was later diagnosed with ALS.

Since his diagnosis in March 2025, Lipsey has become paralyzed from the neck down and uses a motorized wheelchair, oxygen tube and hydration tube. His wife, Cheryl Lipsey, is his caregiver.

Lipsey wants people to know the symptoms, which include muscle weakness, muscle twitching, muscle cramps, slurring, drooling and difficulty swallowing.

“Any of those things taken in isolation may go unnoticed, but you've got to get it checked out quick because many patients never get diagnosed, or they're diagnosed too late to get the help they need and for them and their families to come to terms with it,” Lipsey said.

When Cook, an Air Force veteran himself, learned of Lipsey’s diagnosis, he immediately asked how he could help.

Together, with the help of other friends, Lipsey and Cook formed the South Texas ALS Veterans Coalition.

The coalition aims to inform the public about the impact of ALS on veterans, advocate for patients and caregivers, and encourage more research on veterans with ALS. While studies prove the correlation between military service and ALS, no one has discovered why it exists.

Since coming together, the coalition has reached out to build partnerships with San Antonio organizations, such as the South Texas ALS Association, Brooke Army Medical Center and AFCEA’s Alamo Chapter.

In November 2025, the Alamo Chapter signed the Rick Lipsey Endowed Fund for Neurology Residents and Fellows, promising to donate $100,000 over four years to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) for research on ALS and specifically how it affects veterans.

Col. Tony Burris, USAF (Ret.), Alamo Chapter president, first crossed paths with Lipsey in the 24th Air Force and continued to witness Lipsey’s go-getter attitude and “heart bigger than the outdoors” through their work with AFCEA.

After becoming president in 2025, Burris helped establish the partnership between the Alamo AFCEA Education Foundation and the newly opened UTHSCSA Center for Brain Health, which provides care for patients with ALS and advances research for the cure.

“There's a whole lot of people that can say why you can't do something pretty quick,” Burris said. “And for all of us that knew Rick, especially in the nonprofit sector, it’s about, ‘how do we find a way to yes?’ So, the best thing we could do is just pay that forward the way we watched Rick do things for all those years.”

Lipsey and Cook also started a San Antonio Veterans ALS Coalition Support Group, which holds monthly meetings. They host speakers ranging from patients and caregivers to medical professionals and veteran advocates.

The coalition has also been developing its own research papers and is making an effort to reach senior military officials and legislators to advocate for more research and better care for veterans affected by ALS.

Lipsey and Cook both emphasized the need to act quickly.

According to the ALS Association, every 90 minutes in the United States, someone is diagnosed with ALS, and someone dies from ALS.

Lipsey’s friends have organized a team called Rick’s Raiders, which helps raise money and participate in ALS Association walks and bike rides.

“It's been gratifying to see these people come together, friends and associates and whatnot,” Lipsey shared. “My hope is that we've sparked something that will continue to get support and attention at the national level.”

Donations to Rick’s Raiders go to the ALS Association, which is the only national not-for-profit health agency dedicated solely to the fight against ALS through research, patient and community services, public education and advocacy. 

To help raise funds for ALS research and support, people can make donations at the following links: Rick’s Raiders’ Ride to Defeat ALS team and the Walk to Defeat ALS.