Richard H. Potter

Biography:  Richard H. Potter was born on November 19, 1922 in Greenwich, CT.  He was the son of Stanley and Annie Waterbury Potter and attended the Mount Hermon School of Mount Hermon, MA.  Prior to entering the service, he worked as an Acetylene Welder.

Service Time:  Richard entered the service on March 16, 1942 at Hartford Connecticut.  He was assigned to the Reconnaissance Company of the 774th Tank Destroyer Battalion and would train with them while in the states at Camp Hood, TX and Fort Benning, GA.

Letter to Muriel - May 26, 1943

Letter to Muriel - October 15, 1943

At the time of the second letter, the unit was on maneuvers in Tennessee and expecting to go overseas at anytime.  It wouldn't be until June of 1944 that the unit would actually leave New York.  Richard served with the 774th through Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe.  Prior to shipping home, he was transferred to Company "C" of the 9th Armored Engineer Battalion.  Along with the regular service medals, Richard received the  a Bronze Star for action near Ober-Zerf, Germany.

Bronze Star Award Citation

He would also acheive an Expert rating as an Anti Tank Gunner and a Sharpshooter rating for both rifle and carbine. He reached the rank of Staff Sergeant before leaving the service.

After the war, Richard returned home and married the former Muriel Hendry on December 28, 1946.  She was the daughter of Arthur E. Hendry and Mildred Ruth Peck of Greenwich, CT.  Richard went back to school, attending Columbia University.  He graduated in 1947, which led to a career in yacht construction.  He worked as an industrial scale model-maker at architectural design firms in New York City and as a Facilities Engineer at American Cyanamid in New Jersey.  In his free time, he enjoyed home renovation and obviously model making.

Richard and his wife would have two children, Cheryl, born in 1949 and Laurence, born in 1954.  The family would make their home in Stamford, Connecticut.  Richard was also a proud member of the 774th Alumni Association.  He passed passed away in 1991.

I want to thank Richard's son Larry for providing this information and the photos of his dad.