Richard was the youngest son of Leonard and Kate Elston.
He completed 2 yrs of highschool and was trained as a tinsmith, coppersmith and sheet metal worker. Richard enlisted in the Army at Fort Snelling, Minnesoto on 2 Mar 1946, at the age of 17. He was assigned to the Panama Canal Department, and was later sent to Italy.
He was a member of 913 Field Artillery Battalion, part of the 88th Infantry Division, The Blue Devils.
An italian civilian who was only a boy at the time, wrote the following: "A few months before the war, the American liberators were just average citizens. They were busy planning their future, thinking about what kind of career to undertake, or what college to attend, or they were saving money for their children's future. Suddenly, they were catapulted into a war that neither they, nor their country, had caused or desired. Many of those young people probably had never travelled outside of their home state, let alone their country. But they undertook the longest trip of their life, coming to fight in the streets of a small town in northeast Italy. They came to eradicate the most ignoble political and military order that has ever subjugated Europe, in order that nothing like it could be repeated in the future. In their journey, they had the support of so many other people that in various ways had chosen to refuse the dictatorship. I want to remember and honor the Allied soldiers and the partisans that fought for the liberty of everyone, especially the 88th "Blue Devils" Infantry Division".
Richard was still a teenager during WWII. His participation came after the war, as part of the border control in Italy. After the end of the war against Germany, the 88th division was entrusted to guard and to check the great number of German prisoners held in many prison camps along the peninsula. One of the last duties of Italian Campaign of the 88th division was to garrison the Morgan line, (borderline between Italy and Yugoslavia). A highly risky sector where different accidents happened. Richard was killed while deployed to Italy.
"Haec Manus ob Partiam"
("This Hand for my Country")
He completed 2 yrs of highschool and was trained as a tinsmith, coppersmith and sheet metal worker. Richard enlisted in the Army at Fort Snelling, Minnesoto on 2 Mar 1946, at the age of 17. He was assigned to the Panama Canal Department, and was later sent to Italy.
He was a member of 913 Field Artillery Battalion, part of the 88th Infantry Division, The Blue Devils.
An italian civilian who was only a boy at the time, wrote the following: "A few months before the war, the American liberators were just average citizens. They were busy planning their future, thinking about what kind of career to undertake, or what college to attend, or they were saving money for their children's future. Suddenly, they were catapulted into a war that neither they, nor their country, had caused or desired. Many of those young people probably had never travelled outside of their home state, let alone their country. But they undertook the longest trip of their life, coming to fight in the streets of a small town in northeast Italy. They came to eradicate the most ignoble political and military order that has ever subjugated Europe, in order that nothing like it could be repeated in the future. In their journey, they had the support of so many other people that in various ways had chosen to refuse the dictatorship. I want to remember and honor the Allied soldiers and the partisans that fought for the liberty of everyone, especially the 88th "Blue Devils" Infantry Division".
Richard was still a teenager during WWII. His participation came after the war, as part of the border control in Italy. After the end of the war against Germany, the 88th division was entrusted to guard and to check the great number of German prisoners held in many prison camps along the peninsula. One of the last duties of Italian Campaign of the 88th division was to garrison the Morgan line, (borderline between Italy and Yugoslavia). A highly risky sector where different accidents happened. Richard was killed while deployed to Italy.
"Haec Manus ob Partiam"
("This Hand for my Country")
Richard was the youngest son of Leonard and Kate Elston.
He completed 2 yrs of highschool and was trained as a tinsmith, coppersmith and sheet metal worker. Richard enlisted in the Army at Fort Snelling, Minnesoto on 2 Mar 1946, at the age of 17. He was assigned to the Panama Canal Department, and was later sent to Italy.
He was a member of 913 Field Artillery Battalion, part of the 88th Infantry Division, The Blue Devils.
An italian civilian who was only a boy at the time, wrote the following: "A few months before the war, the American liberators were just average citizens. They were busy planning their future, thinking about what kind of career to undertake, or what college to attend, or they were saving money for their children's future. Suddenly, they were catapulted into a war that neither they, nor their country, had caused or desired. Many of those young people probably had never travelled outside of their home state, let alone their country. But they undertook the longest trip of their life, coming to fight in the streets of a small town in northeast Italy. They came to eradicate the most ignoble political and military order that has ever subjugated Europe, in order that nothing like it could be repeated in the future. In their journey, they had the support of so many other people that in various ways had chosen to refuse the dictatorship. I want to remember and honor the Allied soldiers and the partisans that fought for the liberty of everyone, especially the 88th "Blue Devils" Infantry Division".
Richard was still a teenager during WWII. His participation came after the war, as part of the border control in Italy. After the end of the war against Germany, the 88th division was entrusted to guard and to check the great number of German prisoners held in many prison camps along the peninsula. One of the last duties of Italian Campaign of the 88th division was to garrison the Morgan line, (borderline between Italy and Yugoslavia). A highly risky sector where different accidents happened. Richard was killed while deployed to Italy.
"Haec Manus ob Partiam"
("This Hand for my Country")
He completed 2 yrs of highschool and was trained as a tinsmith, coppersmith and sheet metal worker. Richard enlisted in the Army at Fort Snelling, Minnesoto on 2 Mar 1946, at the age of 17. He was assigned to the Panama Canal Department, and was later sent to Italy.
He was a member of 913 Field Artillery Battalion, part of the 88th Infantry Division, The Blue Devils.
An italian civilian who was only a boy at the time, wrote the following: "A few months before the war, the American liberators were just average citizens. They were busy planning their future, thinking about what kind of career to undertake, or what college to attend, or they were saving money for their children's future. Suddenly, they were catapulted into a war that neither they, nor their country, had caused or desired. Many of those young people probably had never travelled outside of their home state, let alone their country. But they undertook the longest trip of their life, coming to fight in the streets of a small town in northeast Italy. They came to eradicate the most ignoble political and military order that has ever subjugated Europe, in order that nothing like it could be repeated in the future. In their journey, they had the support of so many other people that in various ways had chosen to refuse the dictatorship. I want to remember and honor the Allied soldiers and the partisans that fought for the liberty of everyone, especially the 88th "Blue Devils" Infantry Division".
Richard was still a teenager during WWII. His participation came after the war, as part of the border control in Italy. After the end of the war against Germany, the 88th division was entrusted to guard and to check the great number of German prisoners held in many prison camps along the peninsula. One of the last duties of Italian Campaign of the 88th division was to garrison the Morgan line, (borderline between Italy and Yugoslavia). A highly risky sector where different accidents happened. Richard was killed while deployed to Italy.
"Haec Manus ob Partiam"
("This Hand for my Country")
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