NAVY
1945-1947

Richard graduated from Colo High School in 1941. He enlisted in the US Navy in 1945 and completed his basic training at the Naval Training Center in San Diego, California. He was assigned duty on the USS Henderson (DD-785), a gearing-class destroyer of the US Navy. After divisional exercises off California, the ship departed on December 2, 1946 for "Operation HIGHJUMP", a four month Antarctic exploration and test program. This operation included tests of clothing and equipment as well as mapping and weather work. There were 13 ships and 23 aircraft in the expedition with a crew of 4,700 men who were personally selected for this classified mission under the command and advisement of Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd and Rear Admiral Richard H. Cruzen. All the food, oil for heating and other necessities were taken along. \ They crossed the equator on December 9, and rendezvoused with the USS Currituck and USS Cacapon near the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia. They reached the pack ice northeast Balleny Islands on December 24, and fanned out to act as weather stations, aerial mapping and flight operations from the USS Currituck in polar conditions. Richard had been advanced to aerographer-third class sending important weather reports which were in part responsible for the success of the expedition. Fog, blizzards, heavy swells and frequent snow squalls often plagued daily missions. On March 3, 1947 the USS Cacapon, USS Henderson and the USS Currituck sailed for Sydney, Australia. USS Currituck arrived Balboa, Canal Zone on April 9th for passage through the Panama Canal and arriving at the Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia on April 18th. It was determined that territorial claims made during OPERATION HIGHJUMP provided extraordinary leverage to President Eisenhower in his negotiations with foreign governments which led to the Polar Policy Treaty of 1959. Richard was Honorably Discharged from the United States Navy on October 24th, 1947. He married Phyllis Jay of Colo and raised their family there.

Honored by: CR Association of Realtors/ and his loving family.