Richard Powers (born February 4, 1979) grew up in Birmingham, AL. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2001 with a degree in European History. After being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Infantry, Powers attended Army Infantry School, Airborne School, and Ranger School in Fort Benning, GA. Powers was stationed for four years in Killeen, TX, where he served as Platoon Leader and Troop Executive Officer. He deployed to Iraq in March 2004 where he spent a year in Baghdad conducting full spectrum operations. Powers earned the Bronze Star and Combat Infantryman Badge while deployed, and he finished his active duty on staff at III Corps Headquarters. Powers graduated Cum Laude from the University of Alabama Law School in May 2009, where he was a Senior Editor of the law review. While in law school, he served in the Alabama National Guard, and also made a short documentary about the lives of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The film was an official selection at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. Powers left the military with the rank of Captain, and currently works as a prosecutor for the Department of Justice Antitrust Division.