Richard C. Perrigo

1937 - 1944
WW II | KIA
Battles of the Pacific

Richard was born on April 20, 1917 to Florence and Warren Perrigo in Hartford, Connecticut. He was named after his uncle Richard Hourigan, a Marine who was later killed in action in France on October 4, 1918 in WWI.

Richard moved to Staten Island as a child and grew up with his brother Paul in Grant City. He graduated from Our Lady Queen of Peace School in New Dorp and McKee Vocational High School. In 1934, he went with the Staten Island Advance to the World’s Fair in Chicago.

As a young man, Richard was employed in the office of the general manager of the Hotel Pennsylvania, Manhattan. He was a member of Maresa Council, Knights of Columbus, and of the Pennsylvania Hotel Association.

Richard enlisted in National Guard on February 9, 1937. In 1940, he entered the U.S. Army with the 27th Division, 165 Infantry, “the old 69th of New York”. In 1942, Staff Sergeant Perrigo was with the AEF (American Expeditionary Force) in Ireland.

He was assigned to Forts in Alabama and California, then jungle and machine gun training in Hawaii. Next, he was assigned to Austraila. Later he was with General MacArthur SW Pacific forces. He saw heavy combat in New Guinea in June 1944.

Richard landed on Leyte, Philippine Islands in October 1944 and was killed in action in the San Paulo Valley, Leyte on October 22, 1944.

Sponsored by The Perrigo Family