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Note: He lived in Puerto Rico less than a year and then moved to Laurel, Maryl and, and then to Vienna, Virginia. In 1975 he moved to Sunnyvale, Califor nia. He attended Hollenbeck School, Mango Junior High School, Fremont Hi gh School (1981-85), Humboldt State University (1985-87), and California S tate University Fresno (1987-1990). He graduated from Fresno with a B.A. in History and entered the U. S. Army as a 2nd Lt. After training in armor at Fort Knox, Kentucky, he m arried Ellen Kubacki in January 1991 in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. A larg er wedding in California had been planned but because of the Kuwait War a nd an anticipated assignment to the Middle East, he married quickly. He w as soon assigned to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fulda, German y. Ellen joined him soon after. He commanded a platoon of M1-A1 tank s. The regiment had been placed there as a first line of defence again st a communist invasion from the east, but the cold war had just ended a nd Germany reunited. Just after the end of the Kuwait (Gulf) War, he spe nt several months with his regiment in Kuwait as part of Operation Positi ve Force, and then returned to Fulda. Their twin sons were born the re in January 1993. In Fulda he was promoted to 1st Lt. When the 11 th was taken out of Fulda and disbanded, he was sent to the Armor traini ng school in Fort Knox, Kentucky, arriving in November 1993. He serv ed as executive officer of a training company and briefly as commanding of ficer. In November 1994 he was promoted Captain and made battalion opera tions officer (G3). At the end of 1995 he was assigned to the 24th Infant ry Division (Mechanized) and transferred to Ft. Stewart, GA. The 24th w as later redesignated the 3rd Infantry Division. He bought his first hou se in nearby Hinesville, GA. In the spring of 1996 a cancerous tumor formed in the calf of his le ft leg but it was not diagnosed until later that summer. The tumor was re moved at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC, but it was later dis covered that the cancer had spread to the bones of his spine. These tumo rs of the bone were treated with radiation and he was then given chemother apy. He was released from the army on medical disability in late 1996 a nd continued treatment at Ft. Gordon (Augusta), GA, and at Ft. Stewar t. On February 3, 1997, he was told that the cancer had spread further a nd that he had at most six months to live. He returned to his home in Hin esville, GA. He was paralyzed from the waist down. On March 5 he develop ed difficulty breathing and on the following day his condition worsene d. His doctor advised us that he either was being struck by massive infec tion or his vital systems were simply shutting down because of the cance r. She indicated that he probably would die within 24 to 36 hours. She s aid he seemed to be hanging on to life as if there was still somethi ng he needed to accomplish before he could let go. We called his broth er Jonathan in California and he arrived the next morning. Richard recogn ized Jon, squeezed his hand, and passed away just a few minuted late r, at 10:53 am, March 7, 1997. Throughout his illness Richard never once complained about his condi tion or his suffering. He showed incredible bravery and consideration f or those who loved him.
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