Richard John Smith was born Dec. 5, 1923 to Jay Joseph and Anna Marie Mecklenburg Smith. He died June 22, 1944 and is buried in Glendale Cemetery, Des Moines, IA.
Pvt. Smith served in World War II with the U.S. Army 505th Parachute Infantry, 82nd Airborne Division and died of wounds received in action in France and was awarded the Purple Heart.
Source: ancestry.com
