Imagine not having a choice in deciding your future. Imagine someone telling you to cancel any post-graduation career plans you had and instead go fight in a war. This was exactly how life started for Richard Herma.
Summer of 1942 Richard was a fresh, high school graduate which meant he had to register for the draft. At nineteen years old Richard was a tall, thin man who had short, light brown hair that was combed slightly to the side. His lips curved upward just enough to count as a smile but never showing his teeth. He waited in anticipation for his draft number to be called. It was only a matter of time. “I was never a military man but I didn’t have any control. It was just going to happen so I waited for my number to be called,” he
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They searched building to building, making sure the village was completely empty. He placed a few men upstairs in homes, others on the ground, and the medic with another man in the most easily accessible spot for everyone. Just as the search was being done, Greek, one of Richard’s men, spotted a couple of Germans escaping the village. Convinced they could handle it themselves, they sneakily made their way towards the woodsy area, dropped to their stomachs and began to crawl. They hid behind a woodpile and quickly came up with a plan. “Both of us stood up. I mean no more than stood up and that German soldier must’ve had a good eyeball and I got shot right in my arm, very close to my heart. Blood started pumping out and boy did it bleed,” he commented. Richard sprinted toward the medic who placed a compress on the wound and managed to get him onto a truck before he passed out. The next thing he remembered was a giant tent with other injured soldiers. It wasn’t long before he was placed on an airplane and sent back to the United States. The bullet in his arm broke open the main artery, ending the war for Richard. On September 22nd, 1945 Richard was discharged and was finally able to go home and see his family for the first time in three years. Not long after arriving Richard discovered that his family knew of his act of selflessness. Richard wasn’t only featured in the paper, but later received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. When asked about being recognized for his honorable actions Richard emphasized, “You don’t think about yourself. You don’t. You just do your duty and that’s exactly what I was