Alabama WWII combat veteran and military author passes away

Richardson, right, receives award.

I learned Thursday morning that 86-year-old World War II combat veteran and military author Stan Richardson passed away just before midnight on Wednesday at Russell Medical Center.

Funeral services for Richardson, who lived in Alexander City, will be held tomorrow (Sunday) at 3 p.m. at Radney Funeral Home in Alexander City. Burial will follow in the Hillview Memorial Park with military honors to be provided by the Alexander City Veterans Honor Guard.

His complete obituary reads as follows:

“Richardson passed away on Wed., Nov. 21, 2012 at Russell Medical Center. He was born on Dec. 2, 1925 in Middlesex City, Massachusetts to Floyd Peter Richardson and Melba Bernice Olson Heaver. He was a member of New Site United Methodist Church. Mr. Richardson worked for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He was also a member of the VFW and authored the book “Growing up in a Fox Hole”. Richardson enjoyed trivia and history, especially war related and loved eating chocolate, telling jokes, and always having fun and smiling. He was an avid New England Patriots fan and loved his family dearly.

“He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Clara 'Chat' Mae East Richardson of Alexander City; daughter, Diane Bishop of Ayer, Mass.; sons, Bruce Richardson and Harry Stephens both of Framingham, Mass. and Randy Voss (Nan) and Lynn Voss (Wendy) all of Alexander City; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and six great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and son, George Stephens.

“The family will accept flowers or memorial contributions may be given to United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile, 3058 Dauphin Square Connector, Mobile, AL, 36607 and www.ucpmobile.org, or the New Site United Methodist Church, 108 Church Street, New Site, AL 36256.”

One of the things that Richardson was most proud of took place in September when the nation of France bestowed him with the National Order of the Legion of Honor. He received the honor for his WWII service in France as a 19-year-old private first class in the Army’s 3rd Battalion, 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division. In all, he spent nine months in France during the war and was wounded in action. He received the National Order of the Legion of Honor on Sept. 27 during a ceremony in Atlanta.

I came to know Richardson in 2005, when he published one of the best personal accounts of WWII that I’ve ever read, a book titled “Growing Up in a Foxhole, 1944-1946: A Foot Soldier Looks Back.” I was working at the newspaper in Monroeville at the time, and we heard about Richardson’s book through the grapevine. I eventually got my hands on a copy, read it from cover to cover and reviewed the book for the paper. Richardson and I began to correspond with each other over his book, and we went on to e-mail each other regularly for a number of years.

In 2011, I finally got to meet him person when he and his wife passed through Evergreen, headed south on I-65. We all met up at the McDonald’s at Exit 96 for a cup of coffee. I enjoyed finally getting to meet Stan and his wife, and we would all meet up again later when they passed through Evergreen earlier this year.

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to read Richardson’s book, I highly recommend it, especially to veterans and individuals interested in first hand accounts of World War II. The back of his book sums up it up nicely:

“From harrowing to hilarious, Richardson’s account takes you through the rigors and ribaldry of basic training to the battlegrounds where one day you’re hiding behind a tree, holding your breath, to avoid some German soldiers close by, and the next day you’re rounding up K-rations to give to hungry German children rummaging through the garbage bins.

"You’ll experience with him (Richardson) those painful moments when he saw his buddies killed before his eyes, and you’ll feel the poignancy of a bunch of GIs singing ‘Lili Marlene’ along with German soldiers across the Saar River at the end of the fighting. All in all, ‘Growing Up in a Foxhole’ is a darned good read from one darned good solider reliving World War II.”

Richardson’s book is dedicated to “all the veterans who fought on the front lines in WWII and especially to those who gave up their lives so that we could live free.”

If you’d like to read or own a copy of “Growing Up in a Foxhole,” you can purchase copies of the book online. They are available through both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. I assure you that you won’t be disappointed.

In the end, I know that Stan will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. He was truly a member of the “Greatest Generation.”