Richard H. Potter
Biography: Richard H. Potter was born on November 19, 1922, in Greenwich, Conneticut. He was the son of Stanley and Annie Waterbury Potter and attended the Mount Hermon School in Mount Hermon, Massachusetts. 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 trained with them at Camp Hood, Texas and Fort Benning, Georgia.
Letter to Muriel – May 26, 1943
Letter to Muriel – October 15, 1943
At the time of the second letter to his future wife, the 774th was on maneuvers in Tennessee and expecting to go overseas at anytime. It wasn’t until June of 1944 that the unit actually left New York. Richard served with the 774th through the Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe campaigns. 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.
He also acheived an Expert rating as an Anti Tank Gunner and a Sharpshooter rating for both rifle and carbine during stateside training. 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 had two children, Cheryl, born in 1949 and Laurence in 1954. The family made their home in Stamford, Connecticut. Richard was also a proud member of the 774th Alumni Association. He passed away in 1991.
I want to thank Richard’s son, Larry, for providing this information and the photos of his father.
The photo below of Richard was taken late in the war after the 774th had been assigned to occupational duties. Note the 94th Infantry Division insignia on the helmet.
