Richard was inducted into the U.S.Navy on July 3, 1944 at the age of 17.
He was assigned to the U.S.S.Amsterdam (Cl-101.) The light cruiser was named after a gold star mother, who had lost a son at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Mrs. William E. Hasenfuss was the first Gold Star mother in Amsterdam New York.
On June 9, 1945 the Amsterdam, with Richard on board as a quartermaster, set course from Hawaii sailing to the Philippines islands and on June 21st, reported for duty with the 3rd Fleet .
She joined Task Force 38 on July 1, 1945 to cover air strikes against the Japanese home islands.
On July 10th, the task forces planes began a series of air strikes on Japanese airfields, factories, and shipping. It was during this time that the Japanese were using kamikaze aircraft and boats in an attempt to sink U.S.Navy warships. During these actions, the Amsterdam protected the carriers from attack by Japanese air and surface forces.
After the surrender of the Japanese, the Amsterdam sailed into Tokyo Bay on September 5, 1945 and remained there until the 20th.
Richard was discharged from the Navy on June 9, 1946.
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