Richard Alan Bernhard, retired business executive, passed away on January 20, 2014, after a long bout with Asbestosis and Cancer. He was 88 years old.

A memorial service is planned on March 22 at 4:00 PM at Calvin Presbyterian Church, Tigard, Oregon. A reception is planned immediately following at Oswego Lake Country Club. A graveside service will be at 3 P.M. at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland on March 21 with full military honors.

Dick was born in Washington D.C. on January 10, 1926. He was an Eagle Scout and a member of The Order of the Arrow. He graduated Cum Laude from Catonsville High School in Catonsville Maryland. He graduated Cum Laude from Pennsylvania State College in State College, Pennsylvania with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering. He attended the Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania, and is a graduate of The Executive Management School of Carnegie Mellon University. He was valedictorian of his graduating class there. Dick was a member of the Delta Chi social fraternity, and was a member of Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Tau, and Tau Epsilon honorary engineering fraternities.

Dick served with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division of The United States Army Paratroopers during World War II. He parachuted into Normandy on D-Day, parachuted again into Holland, and then fought in the Battle of The Bulge, where he received a battlefield commission. His military awards include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Parachute Infantry Wings with Two Gold Stars, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the European Operations Medal, the Belgium Foraguerre, the French Foraguerre, the Netherlands Orange Lanyard, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Army of Occupation Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and a Presidential Citation.

In 1949, Dick joined Babcock and Wilcox, a worldwide designer and manufacturer of Large Steam Boilers, Nuclear Reactors and Large Power Plant Equipment. He served with Babcock and Wilcox for 42 years progressing to a Sales and Marketing executive in the fossil and nuclear power arena. He was a Registered Professional Engineer and he was very proud of this. Dick and his family moved to Lake Oswego in 1975 where Dick was responsible for the sales and marketing of all of Babcock and Wilcox's products and services in the Pacific Northwest. Dick was very active in the development of Nuclear Power in The Pacific Northwest.

Throughout his life Dick enjoyed golf, sailing, all kinds of cars, bridge and traveling. He was a great believer in professionalism, and positivism, and coined this phrase within his Company for many years.

Dick is survived by his two children, Scott A. Bernhard of Spokane Washington, Meredith B. Smith of Roseburg Oregon, and three grandchildren.

Contributions to the memory of Dick can be made to The American Cancer Society or The American Lung Association.

[The Oregonian from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, 2014]

[courtesy of Jan Grant]

Grave marker for Richard A. Bernhard in Section AA, Site 418 of the Willamette National Cemetery, Portland (Multnomah county), Washington.

Richard's enlistment records are missing from the National Archive files but on 1 February 1950 he filed for the Pennsylvania WWII Veterans Bonus and stated that he entered active service on 1 February 1944.

Also stated was that 10 January 1945 was the beginning of his foreign service, i.e., his troop ship sailing date. 

According to the Office of the Surgeon General, Department of the Army records, Richard was treated twice.  In August 1944 he had a thumb problem and then in December 1944/January 1945, where he is listed as being in the Military Police, he was hospitalized for 28 days for treatment of pneumonia.

The Morning Reports show that he was transferred from the 3rd Replacement Depot to Company A on  2 February 1945.  Three days later he was transferred to Company C.

On  20 March 1945 Pvt Bernhard was transferred from Company C to Service Company.

He was discharged on 10 January 1946 at the Separation Center, Fort Dix, NJ but apparently re-entered service at a later date and attained the rank of MSgt as shown on his grave marker..